Star Wars: A New Force Awakens
by NuttyBuddy792
Summary: A hyperspace accident sends Mara Jade Skywalker into an alternate universe where the darkness is much stronger than expected. How will she deal in a galaxy where her husband is in hiding, the Jedi Order as she knew it is dead, and the First Order is terrorizing the galaxy? Ep 7 AU, spoilers inside, reviews welcome!
1. Chapter 1

**Nothing like combining some aspects of the old canon with the new canon. We'll be starting in the old EU, set a few days before the events of the Legacy of the Force series, which I felt was one of the better series of books out there. I was disappointed with Episode 7 not giving a single mention to one of the more popular characters of the EU, Mara Jade Skywalker, the 20** **th** **most popular character in the EU according to Wookiepedia, the highest rank for a character that hasn't appeared in the movies. This is my attempt at combining some aspects of the old canon with the new canon.**

 **The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars belongs to Lucasfilm, Disney, and George Lucas, please support the official release!**

 **Chapter 1: The Beginning**

Mara Jade Skywalker leaned back in the pilot seat of the _Jade Shadow_ and let out a sigh of contentment. She was looking forward to getting back to Coruscant and to her husband after taking a new pair of apprentices out to Hoth for their final trial.

'No,' Mara thought to herself as she spared a glance back at the two Corellian humans huddling in the passenger seats towards the back of her personal ship, 'Not apprentices. Not anymore. Today, they have become Jedi.' She allowed herself a small smile as she recalled the shivering duo that had stumbled into the remains of Echo Base that cold Hoth morning. The trial had been to test their bodies and spirits with a day long trek across the frozen tundra, dropped off within a reasonable distance, but still far enough to be a true trial, armed with only their cold weather clothes and a datapad. Their resourcefulness in making it through the trial had impressed Mara, the two new Knights not quite spending a night in a tauntaun, but they had completed the trial and Mara had officially dubbed them into full Knighthood. Mara had a feeling that he Galactic Alliance was going to need every Jedi it could get. The Joiner Crisis may have been behind them, but Mara knew that the peace wasn't going to last. It never did. She had just gotten off the holocom with her husband, the Grand Master of the New Jedi Order, who had described a new nightmare he had had the previous night. The thought of a man that didn't exist but would bring great pain to the galaxy was disturbing, but Mara was certain that together with her husband, the great Luke Skywalker, hero of the Rebellion, they would crush this new threat. Her son and nephew were off to Adumar as of a couple of standard galactic days ago to check out the supposed weapons situation there.

"Is there a problem Master?" the male Jedi asked, sensing the grim turn her thoughts had taken. Some parts of her old life as the Emperor's Hand would never truly leave her, Mara mused to herself, even as she mentally checked off all the secret compartments here and there in the _Jade Shadow_.

"No, Knight Noslen," she replied, which brought a grin to the new Knight's face. Dannard Noslen, Dan for short, Corellian male, brown curly hair, average height, strongly built, dressed in the traditional Jedi uniform. He had been trained by Master Sebatyne during his rise through the Jedi ranks, something not done very often with humans. Mara's sister-in-law had been the only other human to stick through the Barabel's training, though Mara suspected that his drive to become physically stronger was what kept him in that particular training regimen. Two lightsabers hung from his belt. One of the reasons why Noslen trained so hard was to compensate for the disadvantage of fighting with two lightsabers. Mara remembered hearing about a couple of instances where some young fool had tried to wrestle Lowbacca and the Wookie had won handily. It must have been Noslen. The red-head hadn't sparred with him, but according to her husband, who had sparred with and defeated the younger Jedi on more than one occasion, the young man had a talent with the blade. His Force abilities not related to combat were lacking, which the man would have to correct to avoid such a fatal flaw when his formidable fighting abilities weren't required. "We just need to make the hyperspace calculations and we'll be back on Coruscant in a few days."

"I wouldn't mind taking a v-vacation on Tatooine for a b-bit," the female stammered out, still feeling the icy touch of Hoth as she shivered under two sets of Jedi robes. Katerina Llennoc, better known as Kat. Corellian female, dark brown wavy hair, also of average height for a human female, though her slender frame wasn't built for the sub-zero temperatures of Hoth, which would explain why she was still shivering despite the attempts of both Master Skywalker and her close friend to keep her warm. She had bounced back and forth between training under Mara, Master Cilghal, and Master Durron, eager to learn all that she could about the Force and their more mundane abilities as well. Mara smiled as she recalled how easily Kat had picked up on the stealth techniques Mara had refined over the years. Her history was bumpy, but her future was bright.

"Trust me, even you don't want to spend long on Tatooine," Mara said. "It's not exactly a tourist destination."

"Only because they're marketing it wrong," Dan pointed out, "Can you imagine how many people would visit the first home of the Grand Master of the Jedi Order? Head on out to the Judland Wastes to visit Obi-Wan Kenobi's old hut where he watched over Luke for nearly twenty years, get your piece of the history, only a hundred credits for a full tour!"

"Sure, that'll become all the rage," Kat said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. She pulled Dan's cloak tighter around herself, hiding her clothing that had been one reason why she was affectionately called the Silver Star by her Bothan friend Kolir, a name that had stuck over the years. Mara turned back to the controls, punching in coordinates in order to begin the flight home as they began another good-natured argument. Those two had been friends even before Master Hamner had found them in the slums of Coruscant. Orphaned during the Vong war, they had managed to survive the attempted terraforming of Coruscant, which had started them on the paths they now walked, the warrior and the ninja.

"I don't think Grand Master Skywalker would be fond of the idea," Mara said, "Though I'll run it by him if you insist." The look on the young Knight's face brought a smirk to the former Emperor's Hand. Obviously he was having second thoughts about his "tourist" idea, giving Luke's obvious disdain for his homeworld.

"I'm sure there are other ways for that planet to make some decent credits," he backtracked, drawing a giggle from Kat. Any further banter was stalled by a frantic beeping on the console, getting the attention of all three Jedi on board.

"There isn't any trouble with the coolant systems, are there?" Dannard asked.

Mara snorted. "Captain Solo may have more problems with the _Falcon_ in a day than most Star Destroyers have in a month, but he's helped me keep the _Shadow_ in prime condition. His children definitely inherited that Skywalker magic with mechanics. No, it's a distress signal, coming a little over half a parsec away."

"Sweet, barely a couple hours as Knights and we're already on a rescue mission," Dan quipped, strapping himself into the navigator's chair. When Mara motioned for him to get in the copilot's chair, Dan shook his head. "If you need a copilot, Kat's your Jedi, not me. Besides, you can fly this thing on your own, can't you?"

Mara nodded. "Fine. I want you two to ready yourselves for this, because distress signals rarely are a good sign."

"Yes Master," the two chorused. It wasn't long before the _Jade Shadow_ came into sight of the source of the distress signal, though they could scarcely believe their eyes when they gazed upon it.

"Is that an ancient Separatist battle cruiser?!" Dan asked, observing the needle-like warship through the viewport.

"Looks like it," Mara noted, the Force giving her no indication of immediate danger. Still, her old assassin's sense prickled, giving her an uneasy feeling.

"I'm surprised someone's actually flying that thing!" Kat exclaimed, having finally warmed up and taking the copilot's chair, shedding the two robe's she'd been borrowing from Dan and Mara, revealing silver leggings disappearing into silver and black boots, a black form-fitting tunic covering her torso. Hands covered in silver fingerless gloves that extended to her elbows began to work on the controls. "I mean, nobody's seen those ships since the Clone Wars, why would one show up now broadcasting a distress signal?"

"I don't know, but we're going to find out," Mara said, easing up on the engines of her Star Yacht. She flipped a couple of switches on the control panel, opening up a comm channel broadcasting to all channels. "This is Jedi Master Mara Jade Skywalker of the _Jade Shadow_ , we've received your distress signal and are here to help. What can we do to be of assistance?" For a while, the only response they received was static. Mara cast out her senses, trying to get a feel from the ship. She could sense several presences aboard that ship, though she didn't feel any signs of panic or dismay that normally came with a distress signal.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Kat said simply, eyes staring at the ship as she too tried to get a sense for the situation.

The comm startled them with a loud crackle before a rough male voice came through. " _Jade Shadow_ , we thank you for your assistance. Life support has failed, I'm not sure how much time we have left. How many can you carry?"

"We have enough for 10," Mara answered, "We're headed for the hangar near the spire."

"Negative, negative," the man said, a little too quickly for Mara's liking. "That hanger's been compromised. Totally exposed to vacuum, we don't have any enviro-suits to survive long enough to board. We've gathered near the bow in hopes that a transport would come by. Do hurry Master Jedi, it's starting to get cold in here, I don't know how much longer we can last!"

"Copy that, we're starting our approaching, ETA 5 minutes," Mara said.

"Hurry!" the man said, a hint of panic in his voice, "We might not have that much time!" With a resounding click, the comm cut off.

The former Emperor's Hand turned a knowing eye towards her two passengers. "Well, as two of the Order's newest Jedi Knights, what do you propose we do?"

Dan grinned. "Obviously we have to go help. It's our duty as Jedi."

Kat was a little hesitant. "I know we need to help, but this situation has questions that need answering. What are they doing aboard such an ancient battleship? How did something like that get out here in the first place? I don't like it, but we can't abandon helpless people in need. I say proceed with caution."

Dan gave her a glance. "I don't sense anything malicious."

"You need to open yourself to the Force more," Mara admonished gently. "There is something suspicious about this. However, you are right in it being our duty to help those who can't help themselves. Let's be quick about it." With that, she eased the control yoke forward, the _Jade Shadow_ approaching the Separatist battleship like a wamp rat would a ronto. Kat looked out the viewport and saw the word _Executioner_ emblazoned upon it. Mara guided the _Jade Shadow_ towards the mentioned hanger, light blue shields keeping the atmosphere within. Her danger sense was prickling, intensifying as she got closer to the hanger. The Jedi Master wasn't sure what it was, but she was ready to bolt at the sight of whatever it was she was sensing.

The comm crackled to life once more as the nose of the _Jade Shadow_ came into view from the inside of the hanger. "Thank you Jedi. You have no idea how much you're worth."

Katerina and Mar exchanged looks as the Jedi Master began to orient the ship to enter. "Did anybody else catch that?" Kat asked, even as the SoroSuub Star Yacht entered the hanger. Mara's danger sense was prickling now.

"I'm sure it was a slip of the tongue," Dan said. "I mean, they are trying to escape a life support-less….ship…" His sentence trailed off when they saw what awaited them in the hanger. Mara didn't waste any time with words, turning the ship around immediately and fleeing the hanger, pursued by a full squadron of old Vulture droids.

Kat opened the comm channel once more, allowing Mara to focus completely on flying and avoiding the sudden hail of laser fire. "If you have any control over these droids, shut them down! We are under fire! I repeat, shut these droids down!"

"Voice command, shoot back!" Mara ordered as she took the ship through a complex path, foiling the Vulture's attempts to lock on. Green laserfire stabbed from the underside of the _Jade Shadow_ as the retractable AG-1G laser cannons swiveled around on their turrets and began to fire a stutter pattern that vaporized the first couple of Vultures before their danger-recognition protocols kicked in and the lead droids began to take evasive action. Despite her efforts, the ship rocked with laser strikes, though the shields held. Obviously, whatever tactical programming that had been ingrained in those old droids still performed well, much to the chagrin of the Jedi Master. Those Separatists had been a thorn in the Old Republic's side for a reason.

"This is why I hate flying," Noslen muttered as he held on his chair grimly. A beeping on the console caught his attention. "Master, something's coming out of hyperspace! Point one four seven!" The space outside the viewport flickered, rippled, and the new ship appeared.

"What's a frigate doing out here?!" Kat exclaimed as Mara found herself dodging turbolaser fire in addition to the Vulture fire behind them. The ship rocked with another near miss.

"That's a Vengeance class frigate," Dannard read off the readouts, "Most commonly used by pirates."

"Oh joy, it's a trap," Mara growled, putting her personal ship through its paces. "Noslen, start calculating a jump to hyperspace! Get us out of here!"

"Where?!"

"Anywhere where we don't have a bunch of ancient droids trying to blast us out of space!" Mara snapped as she toggled the voice command again, "Fire concussion missiles!" Several streaks fired from the _Jade Shadow_ and moments later several of the Vulture droids exploded. Mara could picture the incredulous look on the pirate's faces when they realized just how dangerous her modified Star Yacht was.

"Another pair of Vultures coming in on the left," Kat warned, eyes on the scanners. "They're firing proton torpedoes!"

"Kriffing pirates," Mara swore as the unfortunate pattern weaved by the laserfire forced her to dodge the deadly missiles and take a few hits from their laser cannons. The _Shadow_ rocked with the blow, but Mara knew her ship inside and out and knew that whatever damage she had suffered wasn't severe. Her shields were powerful, but they couldn't take the abuse from both the frigate and the Vultures. "Anytime now Noslen!"

"Almost," the young Jedi shouted, reaching for the lever. "In three, two." As he was about to say one, however, a turbolaser blast from the frigate hit the _Jade Shadow_ , overloading the shield in that particular part of the ship and rocking the _Jade Shadow_ , accidentally causing Noslen to pull the hyperspace level. The stars began to streak past the viewport as the hyperdrive began to complain loudly and the pirates watched as their quarry vanished into hyperspace.

"Did you get a tracking on where they're headed?" the Zabrak captain asked, pounding the console in frustration.

"Negative sir," the young Twi'lek woman in the navigation chair replied, checking her readouts. "That last hit right before they jumped damaged their hyperdrive. I can give a probable list of where they'll end up, but I don't think they'll be worth pursuing. They looked to be Jedi by the way that Star Yacht flew."

The captain sighed. "Understood Lamia. Jedi slaves would be worth more wealth than any slave we've ever sold, but we missed our chance to capture them. Tell the bait on the _Executioner_ to come on back and we'll set the trap another day."

 **Another story started by your Nutty Buddy. There were parts of Episode 7 I enjoyed and parts I didn't quite enjoy, but it's hard to make a perfect movie. As much as I wanted to see Kyle Katarn and Saba Sebatyne on the big screen, I realized that Disney wasn't going to let that happen. So I got to wondering, since there was heavy implication that Rey is a Skywalker, who was Rey's mother? Did Mara exist in this new timeline? And thus, this story was born! I realize it's a bit of a stretch, but I had to separate Mara from the rest of the EU cast somehow, and this hyperspace accident will send her into the new canon, which will lead to a slight AU of episode 7.**

 **Since this story was started prior to the release of Episode 8, I do realize that this story will likely have flaws that can't be corrected until more Disney canon material comes out, but I shall do my best to limit those flaws. Feel free to bounce ideas off me, I'm always up for listening to new ideas.**

 **Reviews are always welcome, as is any and all constructive criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve.**

 **Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


	2. Old & New Collide!

**A little cliffhanger at the end of chapter 1? Here's what happens!**

 **The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars is owned by Lucasfilm, Disney, and George Lucas. Please support the official release!**

 **Chapter 2: Old and New Collide!**

Mara let loose several Huttese curses as she unbuckled herself, grabbing her toolkit in the Force while opening the hatch to the hyperdrive. She began barking out orders to the young Jedi. "Kat, I'll need your help in fixing the hyperdrive, because if that goes, then we're about as screwed as the old Jedi were under Order 66. Noslen, you keep the _Shadow_ steady. This ride is gonna be bumpy."

"Yes Master," came the automatic response from both of them. All three of them could sense the danger of this particular hyperspace journey, though a non-Force user could have just simply looked out the viewport and known something was very wrong. In addition to the blue tunnel that was the normal appearance for hyperspace, there were streaks of green, purple, and red among the blue. It made for a colorful display, but the rattling and shaking of the _Jade Shadow_ as it traversed through hyperspace took away any cheer that might've come from it.

"You don't think Grand Master Skywalker is going to be mad at us for taking his wife through this misadventure, do you Kat?" Dan asked jokingly.

"As long as we get back in one piece, I'm sure Farmboy will be happy to see us," Mara shouted from the maintenance pit, "Katerina, pass me that flux capacitor." The work was quiet, tense even for several moments, the only sounds being the rumbling of the _Jade Shadow_ , the complaints of the injured hyperdrive, and the mechanical sounds of a Jedi Master working hard to fix her ailing ship.

"Wish we had an astromech with us right now," Kat grumbled as she worked alongside Mara. The work had left several grease smudges all along her arms and face. A coupling sparked in her face, prompting a Corellian curse to fly from her lips.

Mara chuckled. "This does seem like a job for Artoo, he has a knack for fixing hyperdrives. Still, he's with Luke, so we have to make do by ourselves. Pass me the soldering rod." As Mara began to create a new circuit, Dan was watching the flashing lights outside. He had never been one to appreciate the arts. Training took too much time for that. But the Force was telling him to watch, and so he did. To his surprise, a letter in Basic appeared in front of the viewport. It lingered there for a moment, cycling through the colors visible to humans.

"There's a bad joke in there somewhere," Dannard muttered to himself, grinning despite the grim situation, "But 'D's don't just float around hyperspace for no reason." He wrestled with the controls briefly as the _Jade Shadow_ rocked, tilting towards the multicolored walls that would've ended their journey permanently if not for his actions. He'd heard tales of what happened to those whose ships were unfortunate enough to touch the hyperspace walls from Kat. The witnesses on the other ships had described it as a slow disintegration of the ship and the beings inside. It was safe to say that the young Jedi was not a fan of being disintegrated. Dan kept the ship within the hyperspace tunnel, not without difficulty, but still on course. The letter faded from sight out the viewport, only to be replaced by another letter. The odd process repeated four more times, Dan keeping track of each letter.

"D….I….S….N….E….Y" Dan noted as each letter passed. He waited for more letters, but none were forthcoming. "What is that supposed to mean?" He glanced back at the open hatch where Mara and Kat worked. "Hey, Master Skywalker?"

"Now is not the time!" Mara called back, pausing in her mechanical work. "Unless we're all about to die, then it's definitely the time! I'd like to send a last message to Luke and Ben before joining the Force if that's about to happen." With that, she resumed fusing the two lines together, her quick reparations almost done.

Dan grinned. "Nothing that serious. I'm just wondering if either of you have heard of something called Disney."

Kat poked her head out the hatch, her work on the hyperdrive done. "Disney?" she repeated slowly, the unfamiliar word sounding weird to her mind. "Where'd you come up with a word like that?"

Dan grimaced as he briefly fought the controls once again. "It's weird, but the word formed in the tunnel outside."

Kat looked at him weirdly as she plopped down in the copilot's chair. "Words don't just form in hyperspace tunnels."

"This one did."

In the maintenance hatch, Mara held up two wires, ready to finish her repairs. "This should do it." She connected the two wires and the effect was immediate. Kat watched as the flashing colors faded back to their normal blue, the _Jade Shadow_ 's rocky journey smoothing out. Dan no longer had to wrestle with the controls and relaxed.

"Nice work Master!" Kat called back to the Jedi Master. "We're good to go!"

"Like there was ever a doubt," Mara said nonchalantly as she left the maintenance hatch. "I'll be needing a sanistream in a bit, but our hyperspace journey should be safe." She motioned Dannard out of the pilot's chair and took her spot, smudges of grease marking her frame. "How long before we exit hyperspace?"

"About 15 minutes," Dannard replied, "We should be coming out in the Aleemian system, which according to the last reports I read about it, it's a nice planet, if uninhabited by sentient species."

"Stang," Mara cursed, "It'd be nice to have a place where we can make more permanent repairs to the hyperdrive." She sighed. "Well, I'm going to use the sanistream to get this gunk off me, I leave it to you two to begin plotting a course back to Coruscant." With that, she retreated to her quarters, eager to get cleaned. The two Jedi up front shared a glance.

"Well, talk about a crazy day," Kat commented after a few minutes in silence, "We wake up as apprentices, freezing our tails off on Hoth, now we're actually Jedi Knights on a misadventure with Master Skywalker."

Dan met her chocolate brown eyes. "Yeah, we've come a long way since slumming it on Coruscant, surviving the Vong, ever since Master Hamner found us, it's been nothing but training for the past decade or so."

"And getting your butt kicked by several people stronger than you," Kat pointed out with a sly smirk. "Including a certain Wookie."

"Hey, I wrestled Lowie to test my strength," Dan said defensively, "And what better way to see how strong I've gotten than against a Wookie? Master Sebatyne got a good laugh out of it at least."

"As did most of the Temple," Kat said with a laugh. "Meanwhile, I was learning more practical stuff while you got beat up by Barabels and Wookies."

That got a raised eyebrow out of her friend. "You forget how I beat you in our sparring matches nearly twice as often as you beat me."

"Just because you're the better warrior doesn't make you a better Jedi," Kat countered. "Grand Master Skywalker told you that old story about Yoda, how 'wars not make one great.' Right after he took your sparring offer and whooped you easily."

"Like anyone can compare with the Grand Master," Dan snorted, "Can you recall the last time he was bested straight up in a Duel?"

Kat thought for a moment before shrugging. "I don't know, but he always seeks alternatives to fighting." She took a moment to ponder some more. "He told us the story about how Vader thrashed him on Bespin, but I can't think of any other stories where he lost without some form of trickery or deception."

"Exactly, he's helped me several times to become strong in the three lightsaber forms I've chosen to study," Dan explained.

"Ataru, Djem So, and Juyo, all to complement your Jar'Kai techniques," Kat said dismissively, though Dan sensed that his friend's 'dismissiveness' was all in good humor. "Yeah, yeah, so I've heard. He's helped everyone with their lightsaber techniques when he's not saving the galaxy."

"Yeah, I mean, he brought the Order back from near extinction, we have to be strong to survive," Dan continued, "Part of being a Jedi is being strong enough to protect those who can't protect themselves. That's why I focus so much on becoming stronger."

"But there's more to being a Jedi than being strong," Katerina argued, "But not everything can be solved by fighting. A lot of situations can be solved with diplomacy or a subtle Force nudge."

"You both make valid points," Mara interrupted them. The young Knights turned to greet her as she emerged from her personal quarters. Her hair was still damp from the sanistream, Mara was dressed in her form-fitting hunting outfit, a black short-sleeved tunic and black pants lined with several pockets containing several helpful items. She strode forward and sat down in the pilot's chair, preparing her little lecture. "A Jedi needs to be strong to defend others, it's true, but it's also true that pure strength isn't really necessary to becoming a good Jedi. There are many ways a Jedi can do good for the Galactic Alliance without fighting. A great Jedi will find the balance between both methods. You two can learn a lot from each other if you work together. Dannard, you need to work on the gentler parts of being a Jedi. I don't expect you to become the Negotiator, but you need to focus less on training your skills as a warrior and more on working with people across the galaxy." She turned to Kat, who was nodding knowingly. "And you Katerina. Though you've shown great promise in using the Force in noncombative situations and your skills in both Soresu and Makashi are coming along, thanks to your sparring sessions with Dannard by my estimation, but I know several apprentices who could defeat you straight up, not to mention I recall your failure to defeat the training droids I sent against you not too long ago!"

"But Master, ten against one was hardly fair odds!" Kat protested.

Mara gave her that knowing look that Kat held a firm dislike for. "Jedi rarely have fair odds to begin win. You should've seen some of the odds we had to face during the Vong war. Those were grim odds, but we persevered and managed to free Coruscant and the galaxy from the Vong."

"That was a wonderful day," Dannard agreed, eyes glazing over briefly as he recalled the liberation in his mind's eye, "Trying to survive the terraforming of the Vong, scrambling each and every day to survive, when you finally kicked the Vong out, it was like we could finally relax. Then Master Hamner found us about a week later and we began our training. Now look at us!"

"Yes, Jedi Knights in full," Mara agreed, "However, you still have much to learn. We all do. It's a never ending journey for knowledge." A blinking on the console ended her teachable moment. "Looks like we're coming out of hyperspace." She reached for the lever and pulled it back, the blue tunnel of hyperspace streaking back into the familiar stars. The trio beheld a green and blue planet surrounded by a small asteroid belt.

Katerina blinked. "I don't remember this system having an asteroid belt. And what happened to its equator?" She pointed at the scorched trench that made its way around the planet. "Surely some tragedy big enough to cause such destruction would make the Holonet news at some point!"

"More importantly, I though you said this system was deserted Noslen," Mara said as she looked at her scanner.

"I did."

Mara gave him a glance. "Then why do my scanners detect a several starships on the planet, not to mention a base on one of the continents?"

Dan looked at the scanner, confirming Mara's statement. "I don't know Master, maybe it's a smuggler hideout?" His sheepish grin amused the former Emperor's Hand briefly, though there were questions that needed answering. Mara wasn't sure why, but the Force felt a lot darker now that they had exited hyperspace. The light that had suffused the galaxy, even with the recent Joiner crisis, was gone. She cast her senses out, trying to figure out why the Force felt out of balance. To her surprise, she felt the presence of her sister-in-law down on that planet, though something felt off about her as well. The last time she'd felt Leia, it had been this trained, burning light in the Force. Now it still felt like a bright light, but without the discipline that had been drilled into her by Master Sebatyne. What had happened during their journey through hyperspace?

"Master, I'm detecting several starfighters launching from the base on the planet," Katerina reported. Mara tried to get a sense of what was going on from Organa Solo, but she only got confusion and bewilderment from her, not an inkling of recognition coming from her. Mara tried to send reassurance to her, but found herself being rejected and shut out. Mara frowned, wondering why Leia would react so coldly to her. Only adding to the confusion was the arrival of several X-Wing starfighters.

"Hasn't the Galactic Alliance done all it can to prevent X-Wings from being used by smugglers?" Dan asked, looking at the readouts. The comm came to life as the snub fighters hailed them.

"Unidentified Sorosuub Star Yacht, you better give us a good reason why you're here," one of the X-Wing pilots said. Kat noted that it came from the X-Wing with the orange paint job.

"X-Wing pilot, I think its best you know who you're dealing with," Mara replied.

"If you're with the First Order, I'll be happy to blast you out of the sky and get rid of a few more radicals," the pilot said, "You have ten seconds."

Mara frowned. "I don't know what this First Order is, but I promise you, you don't want to blast Mara Jade Skywalker out of the sky. The Galactic Alliance would never let it stand and my husband would leave pieces of you from here to Hapes."

There was silence for a moment from the pilot. "Lady, I have no clue what you're talking about. There hasn't been a Skywalker seen in the galaxy for years and whatever this Galactic Alliance is, it's the first I've ever heard of it."

Mara was surprised by his words, the two Jedi sitting next to her too stunned to speak. Mara retained her composure. "Have you been sucking space? The Galactic Alliance was the only thing keeping the galaxy from being overrun by the Yuuzhan Vong!"

"What in the nine Corellian hells are you talking about?!" The pilot's voice was incredulous. "What's a Yuuzhan Vong?"

"These smugglers have got to be on spice or something," Dan gaped, staring at the speaker. "I mean, I know the Aleemian system is out of the way compared to the rest of civilization, but even they had to hear about the Vong!"

"Smugglers?!" the pilot repeated, laughing now. "You're the ones who're on spice. No, you're coming with us to the Resistance base."

"Resistance?" Mara repeated. The Force told her that this guy believed he was telling the truth, so she couldn't make sense of what this pilot was saying. "Alright then, I'll bite. Take us down to Organa Solo and we'll talk about what's going on."

"Organa Solo? Don't you mean General Organa? Just follow us down, and if you can somehow make sense to the General, we might just let you leave unharmed."

Mara snorted gently as she ended the transmission. "I'd love to see you try make good on that threat."

"Master, what's going on?" Katerina asked, baffled emotions rolling off of her and her friend in waves. "We weren't in hyperspace that long, were we?"

"As far as I can tell, we weren't," Mara answered, though even she hesitated a moment. "Once we meet up with Organa Solo, hopefully we'll get some answers." In her head, she added 'I sure hope Luke and Ben are alright.'

 **Holy exposition conversation Batman! Yes, I have OC Knights, but I don't want them becoming the focal point of the story. That role is designed for Mara. I realize that I can't do a full insert of The Force Awakens, because there's no way to fit them in the opening scenes logically. No, Mara's come in the middle of the movie, luckily for her she came out of the dimensional hyperspace tunnel by the Resistance base and not some First Order base, right?**

 **So here we are in the Disney-verse. Let the confused stories begin! We're going to get our first look at the new canon cast next chapter!**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Let me know in a review, as I'm always looking to improve as an author.**

 **Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


	3. Jedi or General Solo?

**Wow, I'm blown away by the support for this story. I realize the amount of old canon and new canon crossover material is slim, but I didn't expect my little story to get so much attention so quickly! Thank you very much for your support! Now, on with the story!**

 **The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars is owned by Lucasfilm, Disney, and George Lucas. Please support the official release!**

 **Chapter 3: Jedi or General Solo?**

General Leia Organa sat at a console, wondering just what was going on. Though her training with her brother before his disappearance was almost minimal, it had given her enough perception to know that whoever was aboard that Sorosuub Yacht was strong with the Force, but it couldn't possibly be who she had thought she felt try to access her mind not too long ago. She heard the soft footsteps of Lieutenant Connix approach her. Leia smiled as she beheld the young woman, wearing the similar style buns she had worn years ago. She looked like the daughter she never had.

"General Organa, the ship that appeared in the system has just landed," Connix reported. She had always been a formal one, especially for one at her age, though her vast intellect was one reason why she was rising through the ranks swiftly.

"What did the scanners say was within the craft?" Leia asked, though her gut (and the Force) already knew the answer.

"In terms of living organisms, there are two females and one male human within the craft," Connix answered dutifully. "In terms of weaponry, scans indicate several hidden laser turrets capable of countering snub fighter pursuits and missile launchers that show recent use, as well as a Z-95 Headhunter within the aft docking bay. Their hyperdrive is showing signs of strain, suggesting that the craft had been in a recent engagement with an unknown foe and received damage to the hyperdrive. They've made hasty repairs, which is why they're in one piece, but more extensive repairs will need to be done to ensure they don't explode when next they try to jump to hyperspace."

Leia nodded, thoughtfully. "Well then, looks like we'll have to get some technicians out there to repair their hyperdrive."

Connix blinked in surprise. "General, are you sure? We don't know what their intentions may be. We should have a security team ready."

"There's no need for that," Leia said gently, standing up. "The Force is telling me that these people mean no harm. Now, let's go greet our guests. Do you have anything else to report?"

"The First Order has put out a massive bounty for the capture of the BB-8 droid that Poe reported missing during his trip to Jakku and for two refugees reported to have aided BB-8 in escaping Jakku," the Lieutenant said.

"They're looking for the map to my brother," Leia said solemnly. "Since they've put out a bounty, I think it's safe to safe they haven't found BB-8 yet."

Connix nodded. "That is a correct assessment. We need to find that BB-8 unit before the First Order does, so our spies are out looking for the droid right now. We're waiting for the usual updates for more news."

"Very well, you're dismissed Lieutenant," Leia ordered. The young woman bowed her head respectfully and turned to go monitor another station. She had a good heart, she just needed to loosen up just a little. Now to go and see who these mystery guests are. With that bit of business concluded, she made her way out towards the landing strip. Several Resistance soldiers waited outside the modified Sorosuub Star Yacht, blaster rifles at the ready.

"General, you sure we should let these people know about our secret base?" one of the pilots asked, a young woman with almond shaped eyes and olive skin. Young Jess Testor, if Leia recalled correctly. A brilliant pilot, not quite as skilled as Poe Dameron, but few pilots could claim to rival Poe in terms of piloting skills.

"Not to worry Jess," the General said reassuringly. "I've got a good feeling about this." With a hiss, the hatch to the _Jade Shadow_ opened and a ramp extended downwards. Despite her reassurances, the pilots aimed their blaster rifles towards the hatch. Leia saw a slender figure in a black robe appear at the top of the ramp and slowly descend. Despite her regal composure, she couldn't help but gasp as she recognized the woman in the Aleemian sunlight. "It can't be…"

"What's the matter Leia?" Mara Jade Skywalker asked, "You look as though you've seen a ghost."

The pilots around Leia were murmuring. They had seen the lightsaber hanging from Mara's hip. "I thought all the Jedi were dead!"

"Except Luke Skywalker of course," another pilot pointed out, "Why else are we trying so hard to find him?" The murmurs only intensified when the two Knights Mara had brought along came down the ramp. Though they weren't as intimidating as Mara was, since they left their cloaks on the _Jade Shadow,_ the lightsabers on their belts were just as indicative of their status to the Resistance fighters as Mara's was.

"Master, is there a problem?" Katerina asked, eyeing the blaster rifles warily. She then spotted Leia and surprised the General with a bow. "Master Organa Solo. A pleasure to meet you."

Leia flinched ever so slightly, which didn't go unnoticed by Mara, but she managed to smile at Kat nonetheless. "Dear child, while the pleasure is all mine, I'm afraid I'm no Master. Just the General of the Resistance."

"Resistance?" Both young Jedi repeated, confusion on their faces.

"Maybe we should have this discussion inside," Mara offered, taking a glance around at the bewilderment on everybody's faces. "Where we don't have blasters being shoved in our faces."

"That would probably be for the best," Leia agreed, turning to one of the pilots. "Comm ahead and tell Admiral Akbar to prepare the conference room with refreshments. I have a feeling this could take a while."

 **Ahch-To**

Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master in exile, alone on one of the few islands on this mostly ocean covered planet, turned his head skywards. He sensed a massive tremor in the Force, though what had caused it he wasn't sure. It had shades of his wife in it, but that wasn't possible. His wife had been killed years ago by Kylo Ren, his own nephew. It couldn't be… Luke was uncertain, but he knew that whatever it was would seek him out when the time was right.

 **Hidden First Order Facility**

Supreme Leader Snoke growled as he felt the tremor in the Force. There was a new champion for the light side in the galaxy, and it wasn't the hated Luke Skywalker. No, this presence was different, but Snoke couldn't put his finger on it. He began to tap the buttons on his throne to make his call to his prodigy, Kylo Ren. He had to be warned of this new threat.

"The light side must never regain control of the galaxy," he growled, contemplating this new turn of events.

 **Aleemian System**

"So who wants to begin, you or me?" Mara asked the conference table, "Because I have a feeling that I'm not going to like what I hear." Her gaze fixed upon the Mon Calamari admiral sitting next to Leia. "As nice as it is to see you again Gial, it's still unsettling to see someone whose funeral I attended after the Yuuzhan Vong war." The reaction that Mara got would've been to amusing to her if it weren't for the fact that she could sense the alarm from those in the conference room, puzzlement permeating throughout the Force. It was only her, the two Jedi that had come with her, Leia, Admiral Ackbar, and a young woman wearing the same buns Mara could remember the Princess wearing back in her youth.

"I wish I could say the feeling is mutual," Ackbar said in his gravelly voice, "But I'm afraid I can't recall who you are, though that might be due to my old age."

Mara had always had trouble deciphering the facial expressions of Mon Calamari, despite the amount of time spent around Master Cilghal over the years. "Admiral, my name is Mara Jade Skywalker, Jedi Master in my husband's New Jedi Order. Your niece is also a Jedi Master."

The Mon Cal Admiral blinked. "Cilghal? Impossible. She's a great doctor back on Mon Cala, but she's no Jedi."

Leia was giving Mara an unsettling stare. It wasn't in anger at Mara's claims, but more like one trying to remember another who had been long gone. It was a bold claim, to be the wife of her brother in this day and age, but somehow it didn't seem too far out of the question. She did look like an older version of the Mara she remembered. But Leia had seen the body and how it had crushed her brother's heart. "Mara, why don't you explain what happened after you married my brother nineteen years ago."

Mara narrowed her eyes, getting a sinking feeling in her gut. "Leia, I married Farmboy nearly twenty-two years ago. Shortly before the Vong war began."

"There you go again with this Vong war," the Admiral said, turning his head so that one bulbous eye was staring directly at her. "Can you explain to me what this war was? This is the first I've heard of such a conflict."

"Admiral, you helped lead the campaign to take back Coruscant!" Mara countered, a sinking feeling in her gut.

Ackbar leaned back in his chair, folding his webbed hands together thoughtfully. "I did lead the campaign years ago, when we finally pushed the Galactic Empire out of Coruscant. But that's been the only time I've had to lead an assault on the former capital."

Kat's eyes were wide as she grasped his words, leaning forward quickly in her chair next to Mara. "Former capital?!"

"Yes, the Senate for the New Republic now convenes in the Hosnian system," the woman informed them. Mara read the name Connix on her name tag. "Mon Mothma made the decision years ago to make the move after encountering several Imperial sympathizers on Coruscant, sympathizers that were all too willing to destroy themselves if it meant destroying the Senate."

"How long were we in hyperspace?!" Mara asked, that bad feeling in her gut spiking into fear, fear that she quickly clamped down on but it was still there, gnawing away at her insides.

"Mara, I'm going to tell you about the situation we're in, but I don't think you're going to like it," Leia said gently. Mara braced herself, expecting something like ten to fifteen years due to the hyperspace accident. That wouldn't explain the fact that Ackbar was alive and Leia wasn't trained. "The Mara I know has been dead for nearly fifteen years. Yet the Force tells me you are her, but not her."

"Her but not her?" Ackbar repeated, giving Leia that curious Mon Calamari glance. "Do you know what you are saying General?"

Mara had tensed at one important word in Leia's statement. "Dead?!" Out of all the things she could have been told, that was the last thing she had been expecting. "What about Luke? Ben?" Leia winced and turned away, which prompted Mara to lean forward, a dangerous look in her eye. "If they're dead, then you just tell me who killed my family and I promise you they won't be alive by the end of the week."

Leia took a deep breath, shuddering as if recalling some horrible memory. Mara waited patiently as she felt Leia's resolve tighten. "Luke went into exile after his New Jedi Order was betrayed and destroyed by the dark side, by Snoke and his Knights of Ren. As far as I know, he is the last Jedi left and was searching for the first Jedi Temple. He hasn't been sighted in years though…"

"And Ben?" Mara asked, fearing for her son. She didn't know what these Knights of Ren were, but since they were of the dark side, there was no doubt that they were not good for the galaxy.

Leia looked at her with tears in her eyes. "Ben…he…"

Mara met her look, dead serious. "If he's dead, then tell me who killed him. I'll take it from here."

"It's worse," Leia said slowly, each word twisting the knife in her heart. It never got any easier admitting what her own flesh and blood had done. "He turned to the dark side and is now known as Kylo Ren. He's leading the First Order forces against us."

Kat could feel the sudden jolt of emotional pain that struck Mara's heart through the Force. She looked at the Former Emperor's Hand and was stunned to see the look on her former mentor's face. It was the look of someone who had had her heart ripped out. "Master?"

"My son," Mara began slowly, each word filled with the pain and the cold rage she was feeling, "Would never. Never! Turn to the dark side." She looked at Leia, who returned her glare with a bewildered gaze.

"Mara, you never had a son," Leia stated, pain in her voice. "It was my son who betrayed us…"

"Jacen!?" This time the exclamation came from the other Knight in the room, Dan. "He saved the galaxy, he wouldn't go dark!"

Leia glanced at him. "Who's Jacen?"

"You had twins!" Mara said, standing up in sheer frustration, "Jacen and Jaina. You had a third child, Anakin, who died during the Vong War, but his sacrifice helped us win the war!"

Leia laughed gently, but there was a lot of pain behind that laugh. "Han never stuck around long enough for us to have another child, let alone a third. No, we only had Ben, our only son." The silence that followed was deafening. It was several moments before anyone spoke again and it came from an unexpected source.

"You're not the Mara that Leia knew," Connix spoke up, getting everyone's attention.

"And yet here she stands, claiming to be Luke's dead wife," Ackbar growled.

Connix nodded. "Yes, that is true. However, you arrived here due to a hyperspace accident, did you not?" At Mara's nod, the lieutenant continued. "Accidents in hyperspace have always been volatile, ever since galactic civilization discovered faster-than-light speed millennia ago. There have been stories about what happens when the hyperdrive fails or is damaged. Some have been of time travel, where ancient cruisers were lost on the way to battle, only to arrive centuries later. Others have been of dimensional travel, where people have claimed to remember a different version of history. I suspect the latter in your case, though the most recent recorded occurrence was nearly five hundred years ago." She typed a few words into her datapad to pull up the report. "According to the report, it was a Jedi who had no recollection of the old Jedi Master despite Yoda having made a name for himself centuries before that. That Jedi had traveled forward in time nearly one thousand standard galactic years. The report didn't detail on what became of that Jedi, but that may be due to simple integration into then-modern society." She put down the datapad and looked at Mara. "How long ago was the Battle of Yavin 4?"

Mara blinked, surprised by the sudden inquiry. "It's been nearly forty years since that battle, why?"

Connix furrowed her brow at that, reminding Mara of the old holos she had seem of Leia when she had been caught deep in thought. Her buns did nothing to dissuade her of that notion. "So we're dealing with dimensional and time travel here. Wonderful."

"Time travel?!" Kat's eyes were wide with shock and fear. "How much?"

"The first battle of Yavin, where my brother destroyed the Death Star," Leia began slowly, "was only thirty-four years ago."

At this point, Mara was starting to become numb to the revelations she had been hearing. That didn't stop her from saying "Well that's not as bad as jumping into a dimension where I'm dead, the Jedi Order is pretty much dead, the New Republic is still alive but struggling against this new threat, this First Order you've mentioned. Leia, I want you to start over and explain to me everything that's happened in this new timeline."

The General nodded, smiling at Mara. "Certainly. I know you're taking a lot in, but I just want you to know that it's great to have you back."

Mara returned the smile, though Leia could tell that it was forced. "It's good to be back from the dead I guess." She looked at her sister-in-law with face that told Leia just how much these revelations were hurting her spirit, but despite the pain Mara was maintaining that Jedi calm Leia had seen from her brother, even as his Jedi Order was destroyed by Snoke and his damn Knights. "Just tell me what I need to know."

 **And that's chapter 3! Here's where we see Mara getting some answers into her predicament. Next chapter is when we'll finally see some action. Hope you all enjoyed it!**

 **Response to Guest Reviews (In order with which they reviewed)**

 **Lady of Imladris: I do love Mara as well, which is why she's the focal point of this work.**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review, as any and all constructive criticism is welcome. As an author, I'm always looking to improve and I like to hear your thoughts about the chapter.**

 **Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


	4. Divergence from What we Know

**So many followers! Your Nutty Buddy is working when he can on the various stories, but classes have started at Towson and I'm immersed in several higher level math classes, which may limit how often I can pump these chapters out. I'm doing what I can, and thank you for your support!**

 **The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars is owned by Lucasfilm, Disney, and George Lucas. Please support the official release!**

 **Chapter 4: Divergence from What We Know**

Leia could see that her sister-in-law's mind was working faster than a nexu chasing a womp rat. The two women had exchanged stories, comparing notes on what had happened since the end of the Thrawn invasion. Oh how she longed to be in Mara's world, where she had a son and a daughter, both of whom were heroes. She felt for her dimensional counterpart, as she knew the pain of losing a son all too well, but she felt that a hero's death was better than how her own son had turned out. There was still hope for Ben, still good in him somewhere, but she just didn't know how to get to Ben. Still, losing a son to the dark side compared to losing a whole…universe? Dimension? These hyperspace accidents were confusing. Leia was certain she'd be on the verge of freaking out if she found herself in Mara's situation. Her diplomat training would've prevented an actual freakout, though her counterpart in Mara's dimension was apparently a fully-fledged Jedi. She could handle a few mix-ups.

"So," one of the Knights began casually after a while, the male one, his brown eyes looking at the Lieutenant. "Is there any way for us to get back to our dimension?"

Connix paused for a minute, brow furrowing as she thought about the question. "I cannot think of any scenario where someone has gone to another dimension and returned to their own, at least one that has been recorded throughout the years." She looked at him with regret in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

He frowned at that and remained silent for several moments. Leia wasn't sure how these Jedi were handling the news; she couldn't sense their exact emotional state. They were too guarded for that. He finally responded, though not in the way Leia expected. "Well, I didn't exactly have much invested in that dimension anyways. Just an entire Jedi Order."

His companion gave him a worried glance. "You make it sound like it's no big deal, leaving behind everything and everyone we've known."

"I'm saying that the future in our dimension was bright," the Knight, Noslen, as Mara called him, "I mean, the Vong war has been done for nearly ten years now, reconstruction is almost over, the only real threat to galactic peace was that Joiner crisis that Master Skywalker stopped. Here, while the Galactic Civil War is officially over, we have these crazy First Order guys trying to wipe out the New Republic, trying to recapture the essence of Palpatine in the process. Luke Skywalker is the last Jedi once again, maybe the Force is giving us a chance to help this galaxy, since ours is in good hands. Just think about it Kat! We could help Master Skywalker rebuild the Jedi Order here!"

Leia decided to interject on his conversation. "That's certainly a bold undertaking young man. The First Order is dedication to the destruction of the Jedi, and once they learn of your existence, I fear they will spare no expense in an effort to destroy you. You will be hunted."

To his credit, the young Jedi didn't seem fazed by the prospect. "It won't be any different than avoiding the Vong while they were occupying Coruscant. Not to mention once we find Grand Master Skywalker, we won't exactly be the focal point of their attacks when they have two Jedi Master Skywalkers to worry about."

"General Organa!" came a prissy voice from out in the corridor. Mara grinned as she recognized that voice. C-3PO, that annoying but loyal golden protocol droid, came rushing into the room. The red arm was new, but that was a story for another time.

"Not now Threepio," Leia said, waving him away.

"What's this?" Threepio asked, noticing the three Jedi in the room, "Mistress Mara, is that you?" His data mainframe had registered her as dead for years. For her to appear now was physically impossible.

"It's nice to see you too Threepio," Mara said, which further confused the protocol droid. All the data inputs he was receiving right now conflicted with the past memory banks.

"I don't understand," C-3PO stated dimly. He was running several protocols that tried to account for one who had been dead but was now alive. He didn't have many. Eventually, his processor overloaded and the droid's eyes dimmed. The protocol droid unconsciously began a subroutine that had been installed decades ago by a young slave boy on Tatooine in case of such an overload.

"I've known that droid for years, but this is a first," Mara said, peering at Threepio. "You haven't installed anything on him that could cause such a reaction, have you?"

"Nothing that would cause this," Leia answered, walking over to the protocol droid. "Threepio, are you okay?"

The droid's eyes lit up once more and Threepio startled everybody by shouting "Anakin is awesome!" At Mara's raised eyebrow, Leia simply shrugged. She was as confused as everybody. The droid glanced around at everybody, realizing what had happened. "I'm sorry Mistress Leia, I don't know what came over me. Have we gone back in time?"

Mara nearly laughed out loud. "Okay, I've known Threepio to say some really strange things over the years, but this one takes the cake."

Leia also had a smile on her face. "Threepio, we haven't broken any laws of physics here.'

"Easy for you to say," Mara snorted.

Leia gave Mara a warning look before turning back to Threepio. "Regardless, I'll explain about Mara later. Why did you interrupt this meeting?"

Threepio brightened significantly at that. "One of our droid spies has reported a BB-8 sighting!"

Leia was back in her General mode almost immediately. "Where?"

"On a Mid-Rim world called Takodana," Theepio explained excitedly, "And it appears that Captain Solo is escorting the droid!"

"Han," Leia said quietly in a manner that told Mara that she hadn't seen her husband in years. She composed herself quickly and looked at Akbar. "Scramble Black Squadron. We need to get that droid before the First Order."

Mara glanced at Leia curiously. "What's so important about this droid?"

"It contains a portion of a map that'll lead to my brother," Leia answered without returning the glance. "The pilot I sent after the map returned safely, but lost his BB-8 unit in the process. Both sides have been looking for my brother for years."

"Yeah, well, when Farmboy doesn't want to be found, even I can't find him," Mara said, standing up. "Have your technicians finished the repairs on the _Jade Shadow_ 's hyperdrive?"

Leia glanced at Connix, who nodded. "Your hasty repairs were excellent, which meant the more final repairs necessary required near minimal effort." The young woman explained.

Mara nodded her head in approval. "Excellent." She turned to Leia. "I'm all for finding Skywalker, so I'd like to help out with this mission."

Leia smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that. I'm sure the troops will love fighting next to a Jedi. Come on Threepio, we've got to move fast if we're to get there before the First Order."

"Yes General." The obedient droid followed her out of the room and Mara took that as a sign that they should get moving as well.

She motioned to the two Knights that had been dragged along with her into this mess. "Well, you two want to come along or not?"

Katerina smiled. "We're in, Master."

 **Takodana System, Resurgent Class Imperial Star Destroyer** _ **Finalizer**_

Kylo Ren had felt the disturbance in the Force when these light-siders had entered the galaxy. He had received the warning from Supreme Leader Snoke shortly afterwards. He could almost feel the individual presences of these beacons in the Force, these light-siders coming in and undoing the imbalance to the Force that the dark side always caused. Then the BB-8 sighting had came in and the First Order scrambled Ren and his Star Destroyer for pursuit. Now he sat in his quarters with his most prized possession, trying to immerse himself in the shadows once more.

"Help me grandfather," Ren prayed, gazing reverently at the distorted mask of Darth Vader. "Lend me your strength so that I may rid the galaxy of the light like you started so many years ago. Show me the power of the dark side!"  
His reverie was interrupted by Captain Phasma's voice coming over his personal intercom. "Sir, we are ready to deploy the troopers for the assault on the castle. We await your command."

Kylo Ren stood, touching Vader's mask with two fingers as a sign of respect before turning to address the captain. "Have the men been equipped with anti-Jedi equipment?"

"There is one riot trooper for every two storm trooper," Phasma answered, "Each equipped with the latest betaplast shields and Z6 riot control batons, customized to deliver lethal force as necessary as per your request."

The grandson of Darth Vader nodded his approval. "Excellent."

"Are you expecting Jedi to be on this smuggler planet?" Phasma asked. It was a genuine question, not like the constant questioning Ren got from General Hux that could be construed as undermining his authority with some twisting. Phasma, despite her gruff treatment of soldiers and demands for excellence, actually cared about her troops and would raise objections whenever missions arose that would needlessly spend lives. She had confided in him once that it was but another technique to inspire loyalty in these troops, though Ren was still disgusted with the desertion of FN-2187.

"The Force is constantly shifting," Kylo told her. "The Supreme Leader believes we must begin to prepare for Jedi, so while I personally don't expect any Jedi to appear, we can never be too careful. I shall be out in a moment. Have my personal shuttle prepared for liftoff."

Phasma nodded. "Your will shall be done milord." With that, she ended the transmission, leaving Ren with his thoughts. He made an effort to delve deeper into the dark side, letting it flow through him. Even as he basked in the power, he could sense that the darker parts eluded him, as if repelled by the light that he knew was a part of him. It seemed that even the Supreme Leader's training couldn't help him access all the power that he knew was there. It was frustrating. Once again, Kylo turned to the mask of Vader.

"Help me channel my anger Grandfather!" he begged, gripping his lightsaber tightly. "Lend me your rage for this battle!" With that, he strode out of his quarters, eager to find the droid that would hasten the end of Skywalker.

 **Aleemian System, Planet D'Qar**

"Our spies have located First Order forces mobilizing," Leia said, addressing the pilots of Black Squadron in the hanger. They were ready to move out, the starfighters ready to launch, each pilot dressed in the standard orange flight suit. "So you should be prepared to engage their forces if they've beaten us there."

"No worries General," the confident voice of the pilot that had accosted Mara in space when she'd first arrived rang out. Poe Dameron was his name, or so Mara had been told, and he was supposedly the best pilot among this ragtag group. "We can handle anything the First Order throws at us."

"Maybe so, but this is a retrieval mission first and foremost," Leia reminded him. "Master Jade and I will be accompanying you in the _Jade Shadow_ "

"Jade Skywalker," Mara corrected automatically. She could understand Leia wanting to protect her from the fanatical First Order, who would no doubt do everything it could to keep the name of Skywalker from becoming a beacon of hope in these dark times. Yet despite that threat, Mara refused to hide. Once she found her husband, it would be time to announce to the universe that the Skywalkers are back, but she refused to hide from her own allies.

Leia smiled, understanding Mara's intentions through the Force. "Fine, Master Jade Skywalker." There was some nervous tension in the pilots, which was understandable for those faced with the possibility of battle, but Mara could sense there was more to the nerves than that. "Any questions?"

"So you believe her then?" one of the male pilots asked, "Is she really Luke's long lost wife?"

Leia nodded. "I will elaborate on that later, but for now we have a droid to retrieve. Let's move out." Amid the chorus of agreement and the sounds of fighters powering up, Leia followed Mara towards the _Jade Shadow_. The ramp extended downwards at Mara's touch and the two women boarded. The two Jedi Knights Mara had brought with her were already aboard, waiting for their Master to board. The former Emperor's Hand noticed Leia's gaze taking in as much of her personal starship as she could.

"Mistress Leia, please wait for me!" came the voice of C-3PO. The golden protocol droid came scurrying up the ramp as fast as his legs could carry him. "I may be able to be of assistance! Our droid spy is keeping an eye on Captain Solo and BB-8 right now and is providing live updates to me."

"Come along then Threepio," Leia said, motioning the droid to take a seat in the _Jade Shadow_ 's passenger seat. Mara sat down in the pilot's seat and started the engines, the preflight checklist having been completed earlier.

"Takodana, eh?" Mara asked as Leia sat in the navigator's chair. When Leia nodded in acquiescence, she just eased the _Jade Shadow_ off the ground, a squadron of X-wings right behind her. "Sounds lovely."

"I just hope Han's alright," Leia said simply, waiting the atmosphere turn into the darkness of space.

"So, what happened between you and Han?" Mara asked. "You mentioned him leaving after your son turned to the dark side." She couldn't say the name Ben just yet. It was still too much to ask from her. "Why would he and Luke just…abandon the New Republic?"

"Who can honestly say for certain?" Leia responded. "Guilt, grief, an inability to handle the pressure of failure, it could be a combination of those things."

"Inability to deal with the pressure?" Kat repeated, unable to keep the ire out of her voice. "That doesn't sound like the Grand Master Skywalker I know. I mean, if he couldn't handle the pressure, he would have given up after Bespin and the Empire would still be ruling the galaxy!" At Leia's questioning glance, the young Knight explained. "I studied history during my time at the Temple."

"Yes, but I think you're going to have to forget most of our old history and learn this new one," Mara pointed out. "From what Leia's told me about what happened after Thrawn's invasion, it's been a challenge for everyone."

"General, this is Black Leader. We're ready to follow you into hyperspace!" came the voice of Poe Dameron over the com.

Leia leaned over and spoke into the speaker. "Copy that, we're jumping in five, four, three." Mara reached over and grabbed the hyperspace lever. "Two, one!" Mara pulled the lever and the _Jade Shadow_ vanished into the stars, followed closely by a squadron of T-70 X-Wing snubfighters.

 **I know, I know, I promised action last chapter, we'll definitely get it next chapter, Scout's Honor!**

 **Response to Guest Reviews:**

 **cat: You'll have to keep reading to find out!**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review, as any and all constructive criticism is welcome. As an author, I'm always looking to improve and I like to hear your thoughts about the chapter.**

 **Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


	5. The Battle of Takodana

**I'm back for another chapter, this one just flowed off the fingertips. It helped that we were only going over the syllabus for most of my classes the past couple of days, so I got this chapter done before the homework started flowing in. Now for someone else to read the disclaimer.**

 **Mara: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars is owned by Lucasfilm, Disney, and George Lucas. Please support the official release!**

 **Chapter 5: The Battle of Takodana**

 **Starkiller Base, Assembly Grounds**

The mass rally was impressive. Those who were present would never forget it. A thousand or so stormtroopers and their officers fronted assembled TIE fighters and lesser machines of war. Around them rose the central edifices of Starkiller Base. Towering still higher above the buildings were the snowy crags of the surrounding mountain range that simultaneously shut off and shielded the central portion of the base from the world around it.

Glorying in the moment, General Hux stood at the head of the assembly flanked by his senior officers, all aligned atop a raised platform backed by an enormous crimson-and-black banner stamped with the insignia of the First Order. Enhanced by artfully concealed amplification, his voice boomed across the troops assembled on the parade ground.

"Today is the end! The end of a government incapacitated by corruption! The end of an illegitimate regime that acquiesces to disorder! At this very moment, in a system far from here, the New Republic lives and wheezes, staggering onward, depraved and ineffectual and unable in any way to support the citizenry it claims to serve. Meanwhile a host of systems are left to wither and die—without aid, without care, without hope. Drowning in its own decadence, the New Republic ignores them, unaware that these are its final moments." A hand swept sharply downward.

"This fierce machine which you have built, to which you have dedicated your lives and labor and upon which we now stand, will bring a final end to the worthless Senate and its dithering members. To their cherished fleet. When this day is done, all the remaining systems in their hundreds will bow to the dictates of the First Order. And all will remember this as the last day of the last Republic!"

Turning, Hux solemnly gave the signal as the assembled thousand turned to face the mountainous, snowy landscape. He shouted one word, a single word that would ultimately be responsible for the death of billions of sentient and even more non-sentient lives. "FIRE!"

Deep within the mountain, engineers and techs concluded the final firing protocol for the new weapon. A last connection was made.

Above, the rally ground was silent. Then, at a great distance, an impossible blast of light shot into the sky. Despite the remoteness of the actual firing zone, the light was so bright that despite their protective masks a number of the troopers had to cover their eyes. The blast was followed by a terrible concussive roar as a vast column of atmosphere was displaced. In spite of the distance, everyone was pushed back and many were knocked down by the ground tremor that followed.

 **Imperial Star Destroyer Finalizer**

Kylo Ren stood on the bridge of his ship, watching the blast from Starkiller Base streak across the stars. His troops were ready to launch, but Hux had been insistent on having him watch the ceremony. It was both beautiful and deadly at the same time. The vile Republic wouldn't know what hit it. Soon, the blasts would connect with the Hosnian system and their precious Senate would be no more. Without their leadership, the New Republic would soon collapse as each star system would attempt to assert their power. Without the support from the New Republic, the Resistance would be hunted down at their leisure. That was when the First Order would swoop in and restore order as the Empire would reign once more. Ren watched until the beams seemed to speed off into the distance. All at once, five pinpricks of light grew from insignificant specks to sizable dots before disappearing altogether. Ren closed his eyes, feeling the rapid loss of life in the Force. He drew no pleasure from it, accepting that what had happened was for the good of the galaxy. The First Order was in prime position to take control, as soon as Skywalker was destroyed and these mysterious Force users found and neutralized.

"Sir, we have confirmed that the Hosnian system has been completely destroyed," one of the technicians reported, looking at his readout.

"Anything else Ensign?" Ren asked.

"Only that Captain Phasma is eager to commence the attack."

Ren nodded. The sudden loss of life in the Force had strengthened the dark side and he was eager to taste its power. He felt some of it still shy away from him. Angered, Ren let what parts of the dark side Force he could access flow through him. "Tell her to begin landing her troops. I'll be down shortly."

 _ **Jade Shadow, Hyperspace**_

They were about halfway to the planet when it hit them. Kat was the first to feel it, as she had been mediating in the back of the _Jade Shadow_. The only warning she gave the others was a strangled shriek of fear and agony before the young Jedi fainted, escaping the turmoil into unconsciousness.

"Kat!" Dannard cried before he doubled over as the deaths in the Force hit him with the force of a runaway reek. He couldn't stand, the fear, the agony, the destruction was too much for him. Mara and Leia both gasped as they felt the tremor in the Force. Leia swayed in her chair, leaning against the console for support. Mara, being a Jedi Master, managed to control herself, though the protocol droid noticed her grow very pale.

"Oh dear, it seems that you aren't feeling well, General Leia and Mistress Mara," Threepio said, curiosity in his voice.

"So much death," Leia groaned, "I haven't felt something like this since…"

"Aldreraan," Mara finished grimly. She had only felt pain like that once before in her life and when she had found out the cause, it had shaken her to her core. There was only one thing that could cause pain to radiate through the Force like that.

Leia looked stricken. "But how?"

Threepio started. "Uh, General Leia, incoming transmission from Home Base."

"What?" Leia asked quickly. She was still reeling from the aftereffects, but she remained in General mode nonetheless. Jedi or General, Mara was impressed at how she kept her cool in both dimensions.

"It seems that…oh dear." Threepio looked incredulous.

"Spit it out Goldenrod!" Mara snapped. The sudden drain caused by the Force wave had made her irritable.

"Well, it seems that the Hosnian system has been…completely destroyed," Threepio announced, sounding as if he couldn't believe it. "That can't be right."

"An entire system?!" Dan was floored. "But, how?!"

"I don't know," Threepio answered, "There is no record, no data relating to a weapon of such magnitude. Admiral Statura is prepping a reconnaissance team as we speak."

"Good," Leia said. The mood had gone from somewhat cheerful to dark. She spared a moment's thought for her envoy, Sella, who had been on the Republic capital world when it had been destroyed. And another moment for all who had perished, regardless of their personal or political beliefs. First Alderaan, now the Hosnian system. No one, she knew, should have to be witness to the death of an entire world. Now she had been subjected to two. It must not be allowed to happen again. "The First Order is behind this."

"They built another Death Star?!" Mara was outraged. "Look Leia, I know you said the New Republic didn't take them seriously, but come on! How could anyone in the New Republic not see these guys as a threat?!"

"We don't know yet what caused the Hosnian system's destruction," Leia pointed out, "It could be another Death Star, it could be this Centerpoint Station you told me about, it could be something completely new."

"By the Force, I hope it's not Centerpoint," Mara groaned. "That's the last thing this war needs; a long range planet buster."

"That's not the worst part," Leia said ominously. "Most of the New Republic fleet was stationed in the system. We've lost a big part of our military…"

"And because you guys tried to disband your military so that you wouldn't get labeled as the Empire part two, we're looking at a major disadvantage," Mara stated, recalling the short history lesson Leia had given her while briefing her on the situation. "Great. It'll be just like the old days running with Talon Karrde."

Leia smiled, as she remembered the old smuggler. She had her eyes on other goals. "We need to get my brother back."

"We'll find Farmboy," Mara said reassuringly. "I promise. He may be in hiding, but he can't hide from his wife forever. I just hope he isn't too broken."

Leia looked at the former Emperor's Hand, perplexed. "Broken?"

"Well, this event, where your son betrayed him," Mara began, unable to say the name Ben still. It was weird to talk about Leia's son in such a negative light. She missed her own son and wondered how he and her Luke were coping without her. Knowing Luke's devotion, he'd have probably found those pirates by now. Mara definitely didn't envy them. "And killed…me and the rest of his new Order, the only reason why I think he disappeared is for one of two reasons. One, his ship broke down on whatever planet he had been searching for and he only had enough power to transmit the map off world before losing communications. The second, is that he did that Skywalker thing where he places the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders and blames himself for everything that happened, even the caf pot overflowing, which can break a man's spirit if it's too great. I know my husband is strong, but without me there to support him, I don't know if he could take such a loss."

Dan had recovered enough from the Force wave to stand up, color returning slowly to his face. "Master, the chrono is saying we'll be leaving hyperspace soon. We need to get ready."

"How's Kat?" Mara asked, before turning back to Leia. "We'll finish this conversation later." She turned back to the young Knight, who was tending to the unconscious Katerina. "More importantly, I need her awake."

"I gave her a stim-shot," Dan said, showing Mara the used needle. "She should be up in a bit." As if to punctuate that statement, the female Knight shot up, eyes wide as she tried to remain calm.

"Master, something horrible has happened and I don't know how to describe it!" she began hurriedly.

Mara faced her former part-time apprentice and gave her the look that Kat knew meant to shut up and listen. "Kat, I know, I sensed it too. We'll find out more about it later but for now, I'm going to need you to fly the _Jade Shadow_."

Kat was confused. "Why me, Master?"

"Because I sense we're about to be in battle and I know you have the skills to keep the _Shadow_ in one piece," Mara explained. "I'll take Noslen with me and see if we can locate this BB-8 unit in the confusion."

Right on cue, the com came to life on the control panel. "General, this is Black Leader, sensor scans are picking up a Star Destroyer in the system. We'll know more once we come out of hyperspace, but I think the First Order beat us here." Mara gave her sister-in-law that knowing glance.

Leia rolled her eyes. "Understood Black Leader, have your squadron ready to engage as soon as we reach the planet."

"Copy that, Black Leader out!"

 **Takodana, Maz Kanata's Castle (or what remains of it)**

A lot can happen in a standard galactic day. For the man who had woken up as FN-2187, it had been a day that could rival few others. The battalion of Stormtroopers that he was currently up against with the help of several smugglers, including the legendary Han Solo and Chewbacca, had once been his fellow warriors. Now, for the man who went by the name of Finn, they were his enemies. Finn's weapon of choice was normally the F-11D Blaster Rifle, as it was the only blaster weapon he as a stormtrooper had been raised to use. Unfortunately for him, with his desertion from the First Order, Finn had to improvise. Now he was using a weapon from ancient times that he had had no training with whatsoever. Then again, very few people nowadays were trained in the use of a lightsaber. Finn was realizing quickly that the glowing blade also made him a target. Ducking and dodging, he took one trooper by surprise, amazed by how easily the blue blade cut through the trooper's armor.

"Whoa," he gasped as the dead trooper fell off the blade, cut nearly in half as the blade cut through the body. It was a powerful weapon, but the lack of range didn't encourage his odds of survival.

"TRAITOR!" came the roar of a trooper Finn remembering bunking with for a time during training. Ironically enough, he remembered the trooper's ID number as TR8-T0R. The trooper dropped his blaster and pulled out the riot control baton and betaplast shield that Finn remembered from his riot trooper training. Obviously he wanted to make this personal. Gripping the lightsaber tightly, Finn met TR8-T0R's charge. Despite lack of any training with a lightsaber, Finn was athletic and courageous. In tandem with such traits, the saber made him a formidable fighter.

Unfortunately for Finn, TR8-T0R was also big, strong, and agile. Finn realized the fight would have long since been over if not for the trooper's regard for the lethal potential of the lightsaber. That didn't stop him from finally knocking Finn to the ground and raising his own weapon for a killing strike—only to be launched backwards, shot before he could deliver the blow.

Rolling over, a relieved Finn saw Han racing toward him, blaster in hand, with Chewbacca not far behind, smoking bowcaster in his hairy hands. The older man reached down and an unexpectedly powerful grip helped Finn to his feet. "You okay, big deal?"

Finn had to grin at that. "I'm okay, yeah—thanks."

They were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a dozen stormtroopers, atop a nearby mass of debris and with weapons aimed right at them. Han started to bring his blaster around, then hesitated. The odds sucked. "Drop the weapons!" the lead trooper ordered. "Now!" Surrounded by blasters, they had no choice but to comply.

Han's thoughts were racing as a second squad of troopers appeared behind them. "How are we gonna get out of this one? There's too many of 'em," he muttered to Chewbacca. When no reply was forthcoming, he added, "Any ideas?" The Wookiee moaned a terse reply, to which Han responded with a half sneer. "Very funny."

"Hands on heads. Let's go." The lead trooper gestured in the direction of a parked transport. "Try anything and I'll shoot your legs off."

They didn't try anything. There is a time to take chances and a time to wait for opportunity, Han knew. What he didn't expect was that the opportunity would put in an appearance so soon.

Finn had never been so happy to see a squadron of X-wings. The familiar shapes came in low and fast, roaring over the lake and the forest as they blew apart the First Order ships whose pilots, feeling themselves secure, had nearly all landed their craft in the vicinity of the destroyed castle. A perplexed Chewbacca barked his surprise at the unexpected appearance of the non-Republic ships.

"It's the Resistance!" Han yelled, as hope surged within him. They had a chance. What surprised him was a Sorosuub Star Yacht that was closely behind the X-Wings. The squadron broke off and began to engage the TIE Fighters that had risen to counter the new threat, while the Star Yacht continued forward, turrets having appeared and firing at any TIE stupid enough to fire at it. Marked in black, one particular X-wing swooped in dangerously low, attacking at treetop level while keeping pace with the Star Yacht. Blast after blast took out parked and airborne TIE fighters, clusters of troopers, and support vehicles. Whoever was piloting was skilled enough to fire repeatedly without wasting a single energy burst.

As the captives dove for cover, another blast scattered their captors as they tried to fight back armed only with hand weapons. When the dust cleared enough for them to see, the three rose, and Han and Chewbacca recovered their weapons. Reaching for a trooper's blaster, Finn hesitated. It took him a moment of searching to find the dropped lightsaber. Turning his gaze skyward, he followed the black-stained X-wing as it looped around in an impossibly tight arc, coming back for another run.

"That's one helluva pilot!" he cheered, amazed at the skills of the pilot.

"Yeah," Han yelled as he beckoned to the younger man. "How about you appreciate the maneuvers from behind cover before you get your admiring self shot?"

Finn nodded, casting his eyes to a fallen stormtrooper's blaster. "Got it."

Han rolled his eyes at the young man. He had a lot to learn. He fired two quick shots in succession, taking out two bolder troopers who thought they could sneak up on him. He was still coming to grips with the fact that Maz Kanata had Luke's old lightsaber. That woman was always surprising him, even when he thought he had her figured out. Still, his surprised was nothing to the sight that greeted his eyes in the next five seconds. The Star Yacht he had seen with the X-Wing squadron opened a hatch as it buzzed over their position and two figures leaped out of the hatch, allowing the Star Yacht to start its evasive maneuvers. Han had the brief thought of wondering what suicidal thoughts had come into their heads when they landed with a simple grace in front of him. One of them was a young man in brown and tan clothes much like Luke had started to wear when he was training his new Jedi Knights before the massacre. The other was a woman in form-fitting black clothes and flaming red hair, the likes of which he hadn't seen in years. With three snap-hisses, a bar of blue light appeared in the woman's hands and two bars of green and blue in the man's.

"No karking way," Han breathed as the lightsabers began to spin and deflect blaster bolts. The Jedi were dead! Where had they come from? Sure, Finn was using one out of necessity, but that didn't make him a Jedi. Somehow, these two were Jedi. And the woman looked somewhat familiar.

"Captain Solo," Mara Jade Skywalker called to the bewildered smuggler as she used the Force to fling a daring trooper into a group of his fellows, knocking them down while the accurate fire of the smugglers finished them off. "Good to see you."

"Whoever the hell you are, you sure picked a helluva time to show up!" Han shouted back as he and Chewbacca exchanged shots with some troopers who had found decent cover. The Wookiee roared a greeting which changed into a battle cry as a couple shots exploded near his head. He recognized the woman.

"What do you mean that's Mara?!" came Han's incredulous response. Another roar was forthcoming. Mara smiled. She had missed that Wookiee, and with no Vong war in this dimension, he had survived. Incredible. Maybe there were some perks to dimension hopping after all. A blaster bolt whizzed by her head, reminding her that there were more important things to do at the moment. She sent the next bolt back to its sender and disarmed another trooper who had charged her with a stun baton, both metaphorically and literally as weapon and arms dropped from the unfortunate trooper. Mara quickly put him out of his misery and maintained a covering position on Captain Solo and Chewbacca.

Meanwhile, Dan had made his way over to Finn and was talking nonchalantly with the astonished ex-trooper. "Nice lightsaber you got there. I didn't think I'd get to meet another Jedi out here that isn't Luke Skywalker."

Finn was at a loss for words, pausing and staring at the man as he dove through a pack of stormtroopers, deflecting, disarming, and disabling the lot within a few seconds. "What the?!"

Dan used his green blade to deflect one shot while he impaled another trooper with the blue lightsaber. "Yeah, I kinda figured you weren't actually a Jedi, given I can't sense any sort of Force abilities in you whatsoever. Still, I gotta admit you fight well enough."

Finn was getting numb to all the surprises he had seen in one day. Here he was fighting next to a Jedi Knight. It was becoming surreal. "Thanks, I guess." He raised his blaster, then noted that the stormtroopers were beginning to withdraw. He gunned down one of the retreating troopers, wondering why they had given the order to retreat. He had just spotted BB-8 rolling towards Solo and that female Jedi, so it wasn't that they had captured the little droid. As he looked around for more stragglers, Finn found his attention drawn to a singular figure striding through the edge of the forest. He almost looked away before catching sight of and identifying the burden the cloaked officer was carrying into a shuttle of First Order design. Finn's spirits plunged.

"REY!" Oblivious to the blaster fire of the retreating troopers and the explosions of near misses from the dueling starfighters, Finn sprinted as fast as he could towards the dark figure. He didn't care if it was Kylo Ren, he had to save the one woman who had actually treated him as a person for once. "REY!" Focused as he was on his target, he didn't notice the young Jedi sprint past him, speed augmented by the Force. Noslen had heard the cry and sized up the situation at a glance. If anything, he had to try and keep this man alive. He blocked several bolts with his lightsabers as he drew closer to the shuttle the dark man was boarding. Dan could sense the dark side emanating from this man and readied himself as the man turned, a mask obscuring his features. He wasn't prepared for the sheer wave of Force energy that slammed into him however, sending him flying into a pile of rubble, nor was he ready to find himself pinned to that rubble. That man was powerful. Dan's blades were deactivated as with a flick of his fingers, the man pried Dan's fingers off the on buttons on his lightsabers. He was vulnerable. This wasn't good.

"Kill the Jedi," came the deep voice from the mask as he resumed boarding the shuttle. Dan was chilled by the voice as he threw all his power against the force holding him down, ignoring the two troopers that approached him cautiously. He managed to break free from the Force grip as he felt the dark man's attention turn away from him, but not before taking a blaster bolt to the shoulder. Despite his training with Master Sebatyne, the Corellian Jedi let out a cry of pain as he Force-hurled himself to the side, reactivating his green blade to try and defend himself with his one good arm. Two quick shots from Finn took out the stormtroopers menacing him, but it was too late for the woman Dan had spotted in the man's arms.

"No, no, NO! NO!" Finn was hysterical. "REEEEYYYYY!" No amount of shouting could bring back the shuttle as it and the rest of the battle group formed up, ascending rapidly until they were out of sight of even the powerful lens of BB-8. He sank to his knees, tears on his cheeks. "They took her."

With a neat parry, Mara spun, knocking the stun baton out of the riot trooper's hands and stabbed behind her, striking through the betaplast shield he used to try and defend himself and piercing the trooper's heart, killing him instantly. She let the dead trooper fall, noticing a quiet settle over the battlefield as the First Order fled. While these troopers were no match for her, she did notice that their hand-to-hand combat skills rivaled the old Imperial 501st battalion back in her days as the Emperor's Hand. These First Order goons were going to be a problem. She deactivated her blade and returned it to her belt, allowing herself to be swept up into a mammoth Wookiee hug from an excited Chewbacca.

"Yes Chewie, it's great to see you too!" Mara gasped as she used the Force to keep her ribs from cracking. The Wookiee groaned a question at her as he set her down. "It's a long story and I don't want to repeat myself any more than I have to. Where's Han?" In response, Chewbacca turned and pointed at Han, who was approaching the _Jade Shadow_ slowly, BB-8 at his side. Somehow he just knew who was in there. Mara went to join him, but Chewbacca grabbed her by her shoulders, explaining to her that this was the first time in years that they were seeing each other. "Okay, I get it, let them have some alone time." She saw Dan approaching, supported by a dark-skinned human male who somehow had the _exact same lightsaber_ she had. Checking her belt to see that the lightsaber given to her by her husband all those years ago was still there, she belatedly realized that her dimension hopping had now brought two of the same lightsaber into being. "Well, might as well and see how badly hurt Noslen is. Want to help Chewie?"

The Wookiee shook his furry head, indicating that he wanted to see Leia as well. "He needs a bacta patch!" the man supporting Noslen told Mara as they staggered forward. Mara felt a tap on her thigh and looked down to see an orange-skinned and very short being. What could be seen of the hairless pate beneath the simple gray cap was a withered, weathered yellowish-brown. Huge lenses that were as much goggles as glasses folded forward over both eyes. She was dressed simply and practically: baggy dark maroon pants tucked into handmade boots. A vest of some charcoal gray material was fitted over a blue-green sweaterlike shirt whose sleeves were rolled up to just beneath the elbows, exposing skin that was almost gold-colored. A buckle of some silvery material fastened a leatherine belt from which hung an assortment of tech. In contrast to the plain clothing, the collection of bracelets and rings she wore bordered on the ostentatious. When she spoke, Mara could feel the Force telling her to listen.

"It has been a long time since I have seen a Jedi of your caliber," Maz Kanata said to Mara, "And while I would normally offer you a drink, my home has just been destroyed, so I will offer you my advice instead. You have a long and difficult journey ahead of you, but I know you can overcome whatever is thrown in your way. You have the eyes of someone who believes in their own strength, but do not underestimate the First Order. The galaxy needs you in this dark time."

Mara could sense that this being was very old and very wise. "Thank you." What more could she say?

Sighing, Maz walked off. "Looks like I've got a lot of cleaning up to do."

 **I'll admit, the scene with General Hux giving the speech to the stormtroopers was copied from the novelization of The Force Awakens, but that's because I wanted to give that scene justice and I couldn't do it on my own. Blowing up an entire star system isn't something to take lightly. Alan Dean Foster has a way with words.**

 **So there we have it, the Battle of Takodana and here's where things start to diverge from the original script. Yes, I buffed Kylo Ren. We'll see how buffed I made him later.**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review, as any and all constructive criticism is welcome. As an author, I'm always looking to improve and I like to hear your thoughts about the chapter.**

 **Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


	6. Reunions and Plans

**Another chapter for you to enjoy! It's certainly been a pleasure to write this story so far, as I can feel you're excited to see the Skywalker family later on, which is motivation for me to actually get there. First things first, it's a Solo family reunion of sorts and then it's back to D'Qar to plan on how to deal with Starkiller Bader. As for the disclaimer:**

 **C-3PO: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars is owned by Lucasfilm, Disney, and George Lucas. Please support the official release!**

 **Chapter 6: Reunions and Plans**

Mara watched the reunion at a distance with Chewbacca. The _Jade Shadow_ set down gently in front of Han, most likely at Leia's guidance. The hatch opened and the ramp extended, Leia Organa standing at the entrance. The little droid head rolling around on a ball, the BB-8 unit Mara had heard so much about recently, beeped excitedly at the sight of Leia. Despite its cuteness, Mara still had some trouble coming to terms with how…ridiculous that design looked. She'd been all over the galaxy and had seen some pretty absurd droids, though sometimes they had a practical purpose to that absurdity, such as some of the security droids she had seen on Dorin, designed to blend in with the environment there, but just about useless on any other planet without heavy modifications. Mara shrugged it off as a dimensional quirk. It might grow on her with time.

Meanwhile, husband and wife were regarding each other for the first time in several years. Neither said a work for the longest time, until Threepio came rushing down the ramp to break the silence to have a word with the little orange and white droid next to Hand. "BB-8, I can help you translate what you are-" The golden protocol droid broke off as his video receptors actually processed the man standing in front of the General. "Oh! Han Solo, it is I, C-3PO! You probably don't recognize me because of the red arm, but rest assured, there is no other unit like me."

Chewie rumbled something to Mara that sounded a lot like Wookiee laughter. "Ain't that the truth," she said with a grin.

Threepio turned around, excited, ignoring the young woman in silver and black clothing that exited the _Jade Shadow_ and ran to help her wounded friend. "Look! Who it is! Han Solo! Isn't that wonderful? I can't believe-" He cut himself off once more, this time at Leia's knowing glance. "Excuse me Prin- uh General. Sorry. Come, BB-8, we must prepare for the debriefing." He shuffled off, the little ball droid beeping happily. Silence reigned between the two humans once again.

It was Han who broke the awkward silence. "You changed your hair."

Leia smiled. Oh how Han had missed that smile. "Same jacket."

"This?" Han gestured at his worn jacket. "No, new jacket."

Unable to contain himself any longer, Chewbacca roared an elated greeting and ran forward, engulfing Leia in a mass of fur as he hugged her in a warm embrace that could only be given by a Wookiee. Letting her go, he moaned a few words that contained far more depth of feeling than would be apparent to an outsider unfamiliar with the Wookiee language, and left to go prepare the _Falcon_ for flight. Left alone once again barring the eyes of one Skywalker, not that it was relevant to Han or Leia at the moment, they embraced.

Han's voice was grim over Leia's shoulder. "I saw him. He was here."

Leia closed her eyes when she heard that. She knew exactly who her husband was talking about. The knife wound in her heart that she felt every time she heard about his actions always hurt, but with Han here, it hurt less than it normally did. "We have to talk."

"Damn right we do, Chewie's telling me that's Mara over there," Han said, "Said she even smells the same. You know as well as I do that it's not possible."

"Don't worry Han," Leia said gently, pulling away from the embrace. "We'll explain everything once we get back to Home Base." Han shot a suspicious look back at Mara before facing his wife and nodding.

"I'll hold you to that."

Finn had helped the Jedi that had saved him onto the Sorosuub Star Yacht with the aid of the woman, but he had been surprised to see another lightsaber on her hip. All the Jedi except Luke Skywalker were supposed to be dead, yet he had just fought along two Jedi that were clearly not Skywalker. In a numb silence, he was sitting in one of the seats on the _Jade Shadow,_ watching her work on the man's shoulder. She reminded him of Rey a little, though there were obvious differences between the two. For starters, this woman's hair was a lighter shade of brown than Rey's and she had a little more curve to her frame than Rey, but Finn figured that was due to the malnutrition of being a Jakku scavenger. He still couldn't believe how much food Rey had packed away at Maz's castle, digging into the exotic foods like she hadn't eaten in weeks. Then again, having experienced Jakku firsthand, Finn figured she probably hadn't.

"All this talk of you becoming a great fighter and you're wounded in your first battle as a Knight," she told the man as she applied a bacta patch to the wound. It had been cauterized by the power of the bolt, but the bacta would prevent infection. "What am I going to do with you Dan?"

"Teach me some of those Soresu techniques?" the man, Dan, suggested hopefully. He winced as she pressed hard against the wound.

"Maybe you should be a little less reckless when you charge a dark-sider like that," she retorted, using the Force to call some bandages to her hand as she deftly worked on his shoulder.

"Oh come on Kat," Dan pretended to whine, "I wasn't the only one who was charging him. I just happened to get to him first."

"Who else would be dumb enough to blunder headlong against a Dark Lord like you did?"

Dan pointed his right hand, his good arm, at the man who was staring at the two of them. "He did." Finn was suddenly aware of Kat sizing him up. A little self-conscious, he glanced away, analyzing the interior wall like there was nothing else like it in the galaxy.

"You got a name, stranger?" Kat asked him, ending Finn's examination of the wall as quickly as it started.

"Finn," he replied after a moment. He wasn't sure what he was expecting from Jedi, but he didn't expect them to be so…normal. After all the stories he'd heard and what he had seen from both Kylo Ren and these Jedi, he knew that he was a part of something much bigger than himself.

"Well Finn, thanks for helping Dan get back to the _Shadow_ ," she began, pausing as she caught sight of the lightsaber in his hand. "I do have to ask, where did you get Master Skywalker's lightsaber?"

Finn spluttered for a moment, surprised by the sudden accusation and was saved by Master Skywalker herself. "Turns out there are two identical lightsabers in this galaxy now," Mara said as she entered the _Jade Shadow_. "I don't know where he got that lightsaber from, but mine's still here." She hefted the old weapon and used the Force to grab the lightsaber from Finn's hand, holding them both up for a comparison. "See?"

"Well I'll be," Dan said in awe. "They are identical!"

"You mean you guys don't just have a factory for these things?" Finn asked, staring at the floating lightsaber.

Mara used the Force to return the saber to Finn, who was still mesmerized by the saber to the point that it sailed into his gut. He fumbled with it briefly before securing a firm grip on the ancient weapon. "I realize that knowledge about the Jedi is limited in this time, but it's still unsettling the amount of ignorance. Each Jedi builds his or her own lightsaber by themselves using only the materials they have and the Force. Hopefully once we find Farmboy we'll be able to rebuild the Order so that such trivial knowledge about the Jedi becomes common again." She sighed as she took the controls. "Well, Finn, you coming with us for the ride back to base or do you have your own ride?"

Finn stood up, surprised by the offer. "Umm, thanks, but I think I'll join Captain Solo on the _Falcon._ " With that, the former stormtrooper awkwardly made his way down the ramp, his mind awhirl on the day's events.

"You don't think we scared him, do you?" Kat asked Mara after Finn had gone.

"From what I've heard from Han, he's got a lot on his mind right now," Leia answered as she boarded the _Jade Shadow_. "Mara, when we get back to D'Qar, go easy on Han. I can see he still blames himself for Ben's fall." Mara couldn't help but wince at the mention of Ben, taking a second to remind herself that it wasn't her Ben. After years of hearing that name associated with her son (and the occasional reference to Obi-Wan Kenobi by her husband), it was difficult to hear that name not only be associated with someone else, but that name was used by someone who had turned to the dark side.

"To be fair, he wasn't nearly as grey the last time I saw him," Mara admitted. The Han from her dimension still had some brown in his hair, though it was on its last legs. Here, he looked as though he was a decade or so older. It was unsettling, to say the least. "Let's just get back and get things figured out, since we've got a planet buster weapon to find and destroy."

 **Aleemian System, D'Qar, Resistance Base**

It was nice to have the Solo and Skywalker ships parked next to each other once again, Mara mused. The _Millennium Falcon_ and the _Jade Shadow_ were sitting in the main hanger, a restoration team crawling all over the _Falcon_ , removing any hidden tracers and unwelcome modifications it had gained during its time away from Han Solo. It was a hive of activity throughout the base as they prepared for the war that the First Order had declared with the destruction of the Hosnian system. Mara watched the man from earlier, Finn, break into a run, the BB-8 droid rolling along with him, though for what reason she didn't know. She did see Han coming towards him and she gestured towards the command center, where she could explain to him the situation with Leia to back her up. Han raised an eyebrow, but followed, a grim look on his face

Finn was a fast runner, but he was no match for BB-8. Rolling at maximum speed, the droid nearly knocked him down as it shot past him in its haste to reach the fighter with the black insignia, beeping joyously all the while. Its canopy was already open; the pilot had removed his helmet and was chatting with one of the techs as he descended from the cockpit. Poe Dameron. No wonder, Finn thought, he and the others had marveled at the pilot's skill during the course of the counterattack at Maz's castle. This was clearly, indisputably, the best pilot in the Resistance. His presence, however, defied reason. Finn just stared at him, hardly believing what he was seeing. Then again, after all that had happened in this crazy day, what was one pilot surviving a TIE fighter that had sank into the sands and exploded? Kneeling and chatting with BB-8, the pilot was nodding at something the droid was saying. It took him a moment to look up and glance to his right. The expression on his face when he recognized Finn was no less astonished than that of the ex-trooper. Smiling, he rose and gestured as Finn continued toward him. For a moment they just stared, each overwhelmed to find the other alive. Finn could only shake his head in wonder.

"Poe," he said. "Poe Dameron. Best pilot in the Resistance."

"Finn!" Poe shouted with a grin as they embraced.

"You're alive!" Finn had a knack for stating the obvious.

"So are you!" Poe matched Finn in that particular talent.

Finn studied him intently. "You look like you're in one piece. I can hardly believe it. I thought you were dead: shot up in that TIE fighter we stole. I ejected. When I finally found the wreckage, I looked for you. Pulled your jacket out of your ship before it got swallowed by the sand. What happened to you?"

"I wasn't dead, just momentarily out of it," the pilot explained. "Came around long enough to see that you had got out. Pulled out of the dive just long enough to set down—hard. Impact threw me clear. Woke up at night; no you, no ship, no nothing. Went looking—in the wrong direction. Got picked up by some itinerant trader." He grinned. "Tell you all about it sometime." A plaintive beep caused him to turn and look down. "BB-8 says that you saved him."

Finn eyed the droid. "It wasn't just me. Tell you all about it sometime."

"Either way, you completed my mission." Poe gestured at their surroundings. "BB-8 is here, where he was supposed to come all along. And you saved my jacket."

Finn started to slip out of it, remembering he was wearing Poe's jacket. "Oh, sorry—here."

Poe grinned again. "Nah, you keep it. It suits you." He held up an arm. "I've got a new one. Suits me." His tone turned somber. "You're a good man, Finn. The Resistance needs the help of more like you."

Finn nodded as he put his jacket back on. "Poe—I need your help."

The pilot shrugged. "Anything."

"I need to see General Organa," Finn told him. "Can you manage that?"

"Of course, what do you have to talk to her about?"

 _ **The New Force Awakens**_

Deep within the bowels of the base, one could hear Han Solo shouting "That's impossible!" It wasn't just the story that Mara had told him that had him shouting that. Sure, the thought of some crazy extra-galactic war between techno-phobic aliens and him having not just one child, but three was insane. But somehow, Han could find that story more believable than this woman who claimed to be the wife of one of his best friends. Mara Jade was dead. He had seen it himself and while he wasn't Force-sensitive (Luke had affectionately called him more Force-blind than a drunken Hutt), he could practically taste the grief that Luke had felt when they had discovered Mara's body. And from what he'd seen of the Force, it couldn't bring the dead back to life. The roar of a Wookiee echoed across the room in response.

"You keep quiet over there," Han shouted back to Chewbacca, who was under the supervision of Dr. Kalonia while she examined his wounded shoulder. Kat was doing the same to Dan a few rows down the medbay, peeling off the field dressing and working on the blaster wound.

"Who'd have thought I'd be sharing a medbay with the legendary Chewbacca," Dan commented dryly, exchanging a glance with the Wookiee in question. He chuffed gently, enjoying the attention from the Jedi. After all, it wasn't every day one is called legendary.

Turning back to the two women in front of him, Han continued his rant. "I mean, sure she looks the part, but come on Leia, I know you're smarter than to believe this, this fake!"

"Han, I understand how this can be confusing," Leia began gently. She sighed. "This isn't exactly the Mara we knew, but at the same time, she's what could've happened had things ended up differently."

"Like having twins instead of a single child?" Han retorted sarcastically. "I doubt having a sister would've made a difference for Ben." He saw the hurt on Leia's face and his anger quickly faded to shame. "Leia, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have." She said nothing, but instead turned and engaged several senior officers in a serious conversation.

"Look Han," Mara began.

"Look nothing sweetheart," Han cut her off. "Whoever you are, this isn't funny!"

"You remember how Luke gave me this, didn't you?" Mara asked, holding up her lightsaber. She saw Han's eyes widen as he recognized the lightsaber. Finn had the same one from Maz.

"You haven't been talking to big deal, have you?" he asked, his flimsy argument falling apart.

"We already had that conversation," Mara said simply, noticing the dark-skinned male enter with the pilot Poe Dameron leading the way. "I get that it's been rough Solo, believe me, this isn't any easier for me."

"I've had to deal with my son working with those First Order lunatics for years," Han retorted, "I don't see how you can relate."

Mara realized that Han had taken the fall of his son worse than he had taken the death of Chewbacca during the Vong war, but wisely decided not to mention that. Instead, she countered with the worst counter against Solo's stubbornness. Logic. "No, I can't truly relate. But I'm here, there are two of Farmboy's lightsaber, and it's not like you haven't had problems with the hyperdrive before."

"Only when Imperials aren't messing with the _Falcon_ ," Han muttered.

"The point is, even you have to see that my story makes sense," Mara finished, keeping an eye on Leia as Finn confronted her. He seemed very troubled. "And we've got a planet buster to take out. We could use that famous Solo luck of yours."

"Some luck," Han said as Leia nodded, letting Admiral Ackbar talk with Finn. Leia approached Mara and Han, looking a little less grim than she had a moment ago.

"We're lucky that Finn knows about the weapon that destroyed the Hosnian system," Leia informed them. "We'll be having a meeting in a few moments to take a look at the map BB-8 holds and to discuss a plan of attack once our recon team gets back from this Starkiller Base."

Chewbacca was quiet as Dr. Kalonia worked on the Wookiee's injured shoulder. She was far more capable than Finn and with proper medical equipment, the pain in his shoulder was rapidly fading. Chewie growled appreciatively at the doctor. "You're most welcome," she replied gently, looking at the readouts on her device. The Wookiee looked over and down at himself. All signs of the wound had nearly been erased, at which sight he groaned softly. "That sounds very scary," Kalonia commented as she worked. Another series of gentle moans. "Yes, you're very brave." The Wookiee just rolled with it.

The search had taken BB-8 some time, but he finally found what he was looking for. Or rather, who. Or maybe both, since an intelligent droid technically qualified as both a who and a what. In the dark, dusty storeroom he rolled over to the R2 unit and beeped a greeting, the transmission sequence too rapid and too exhaustive for any human to follow. It didn't matter. There was no response from the immobile R2 unit. BB-8 tried again, utilizing a different droid language. When that also failed, he moved forward and gave the other mechanical a forceful nudge. Like everything else, that too failed to generate a response. Observing the unsuccessful interaction, C-3PO came forward out of the shadows.

"You're wasting your time, I'm afraid. It is very doubtful that Artoo would have the rest of the map in his backup data." When BB-8 queried the protocol droid, C-3PO responded without hesitation. "He's been locked down in self-imposed low-power mode. He just hasn't been the same since Master Luke went away."

"BB-8!" a human voice interrupted. Both droids turned to see Poe Dameron standing in the doorway. "The General needs you!"

Beeping a polite farewell to Threepio and a final thought to the silent R2-D2, BB-8 followed the officer out of the storage area. Behind them, Threepio bent over his old friend. "Oh, do try and cheer up, Artoo. This enforced immobility is no good for you. Your cognitive circuits will atrophy from lack of use." His friendly urging proved no more effective than had BB-8's authoritative probing. The R2 unit remained as it was: silent, unmoving, and unresponsive. Letting out a very human sigh, C-3PO turned and followed BB-8 to the control center.

 **Han's just being the stubborn Corellian we all know and love, isn't he? That and Chewie's scene with the good doctor is always good for a laugh.**

 **Response to Guest Reviews (In Order with which they Reviewed)**

 **Guest: Will Mara's presence be enough to save Han? You'll have to keep reading to find out. As for your hunch, well, that'll be revealed in due time as well**

 **Guest: There are a lot of things Mara could say to Han and Chewbacca, though I'm not sure how thrilled Han would be to hear about his best friend getting crushed by a moon.**

 **To the two Guests asking about Padme & Anakin: The Dark Nest trilogy hasn't exactly happened in this timeline, and while R2 does have the memory files, I'm still debating on whether or not they have seen the holos of their mother. To be fair, Vader had done everything in his power to wipe out the existence of Padme from the galaxy in order to not be reminded of his loss, so Padme isn't exactly a household name and with Bail and Mon Mothma now dead with the destruction of Alderaan and Hosnia, well, you get the idea. Is it fair that Padme got the shaft in the OT? Not really, but I'm trying to stay as loyal to the movies after all. If there's an optimal moment to bring up the old Skywalker family, then maybe, but for now, with another Death Star out there, the cast kinda has more pressing matters at the moment than long dead family members. Mara knows, from her dimension, but that'll come into play later.**

 **Guest: Rey's mother (or who I believe to be her mother and father) will be revealed in due time, please try to be patient with me.**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review, as any and all constructive criticism is welcome. As an author, I'm always looking to improve and I like to hear your thoughts about the chapter.**

 **Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


	7. Stopping a Destroyer of Worlds

**Alright, time for another chapter, time for more plot advancement, several hints are being dropped, as well as a couple of names, you'll see soon enough. And for the disclaimer, take it away Leia!**

 **Princess General Leia Organa Solo of Alderaan: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars is owned by Lucasfilm, Disney, and George Lucas. Please support the official release!**

 **Chapter 7: Stopping a Destroyer of Worlds**

All eyes were on the two droids standing by the table projector in the main conference room. This was the piece of the map that would lead them to Luke Skywalker, or so Poe had been told. He only wished that Lor San Tekka was there to see this. The death of the old man weighed heavily on those who knew him. This was something they had lost valuable lives over. At Threepio's gesture, BB-8 opened a port on his side.

"Thank you BB-8," the protocol droid said politely as he reached in and removed the tiny device. Inserting the device, the holo-projector activated and a three dimensional map appeared above the table; stars, nebulae, and other stellar phenomena filling the room. Mara scanned the map, trying to make sense of it. The map didn't seem complete, though it did seem familiar. She couldn't place where she'd seen that kind of map before. A glance at her sister-in-law confirmed her initial thoughts, as did Threepio's solemn announcement. "General, while I have already completed a preliminary analysis, I'll inform you of my final determination only when I have finished comparing the information available in this map to that in our full database. There. I've finished. Unfortunately, I have to conclude that this map contains insufficient data with which to make a match to any system in our records."

From a corner, Han spoke up. "Told you."

Leia ignored him. "What a fool I was to think we could just find Luke and bring him back."

He moved toward her. "Leia…"

She growled at him. "Don't do that."

It stopped him cold. "Do what?"

Her voice was flat. "Be nice to me." Whirling, she stomped off. More than a little bewildered, he followed. Though he caught up to her easily, she didn't stop, nor did she look in his direction. "Hey, I'm here to help," he told her.

She continued to march forward, her gaze set straight ahead. "When did that ever help? And don't say the Death Star."

Frustrated, he stepped out in front of her to block her path. When he spoke again, his tone softened until he was almost pleading—as much as Han Solo was capable of pleading. "Will you just stop and listen to me for a minute? Please?"

The change in tone did more to placate her than anything else. She eyed him impatiently. "I'm listening, Han."

"I didn't plan on coming here," he explained. "I know whenever you look at me, you're reminded of him. So I stayed away."

She stared at him, shaking her head slowly. "That's what you think? That I don't want to be reminded of him, that I want to forget him? I want him back."

What could he say to that? What possible response could he give to a willful denial of reason? "He's gone, Leia. He was always drawn to the dark side. There was nothing we could've done to stop it, no matter how hard we tried." His final words were the hardest to get out. "There was too much Vader in him."

"That's why I wanted him to train with Luke," Leia said. "I just never should have sent him away. That's when I lost him. When I lost you both."

Han dipped his head. "We both had to deal with it in our own way." He shrugged. "I went back to the only thing I was ever good at."

"We both did," Leia admitted.

He met her eyes steadily. "We've lost our son, forever."

Leia bit her lower lip, refusing to concede. "No. It was Snoke."

Han drew back slightly, perplexed. "Snoke?"

She nodded. "He knew our child would be strong with the Force. That he was born with equal potential for good or evil."

"You knew this from the beginning? Why didn't you tell me?"

She sighed. "Many reasons. I was hoping that I was wrong, that it wasn't true. I hoped I could sway him, turn him away from the dark side, without having to involve you." A small smile appeared. "You had—you have—wonderful qualities, Han, but patience and understanding were never among them. I was afraid that your reactions would only drive him farther to the dark side. I thought I could shield him from Snoke's influence and you from what was happening." Her voice dropped. "It's clear now that I was wrong. Whether your involvement would have made a difference, we'll never know."

He had trouble believing what he was hearing. "So Snoke was watching our son."

"Always," she told him. "From the shadows, in the beginning, even before I realized what was happening, he was manipulating everything, pulling our son toward the dark side.

"But nothing's impossible, Han. Not even now, at this late time. I have this feeling that if anyone can save him—it's you."

He wanted to laugh derisively. If he did, he knew she might never speak to him again. "Me? No. If Luke couldn't reach him, with all his skills and training, how can I?"

She was nodding slowly. "Luke is a Jedi. But you're his father. There's still light in him. I know it."

Mara, meanwhile, stayed out of that unpleasant conversation and instead was studying the map intently, trying to place this nagging feeling that she'd seen this map before. It was there, somewhere in her memory, buried deep. Her thoughts were interrupted by Kat, who'd tapped her Master on the shoulder.

"You seem distant Master, do you know this map?" she asked. "I have about as much a clue as Threepio did."

Mara felt a flash of irritation as whatever it was that she had been about to remember was gone. She'd have to meditate on that later, though there were more pressing issues to deal with. "I think this might have been a part of the old Imperial Archives, because the Emperor loved to use these maps when I was still his Hand. I'm not sure which map it is though, and since we're here on D'Qar instead of Coruscant, I don't exactly have access to those files at the moment."

Katerina nodded. "I guess we'll be jumping to the old capital soon?"

"We have a weapon that can destroy entire star systems that is pointed right at us," Mara pointed out. "And reports have come in that the First Order knows about this base now, just like we now know about their ultimate weapon and where it's located. I think taking out that weapon is more important right now."

Kat took the admonishment in stride. "Understood Master."

"How's Noslen's shoulder?"

"Healing, but his movement will be limited for the next couple of days. A day in a healing trance should take care of any lingering problems."

Mara spared a glance towards the medbay, where Dan was chatting amicably with Chewbacca, grinning all the while as the Wookiee told him tales of the smuggler life. "Great."

"Excuse me, Master Skywalker?" It was the Lieutenant from earlier, Connix. "The war meeting is about to start and Leia would like to have to present.

"Of course." As the three woman walked off to their various seats in the main conference hall, a certain astromech droid was powering up several internal programs. While appearing dead to the outside world, the little blue and silver R2 unit was beginning several routines to process what it had heard. The map to his master was within Imperial records. Artoo began to send several wireless inquiries to Coruscant to receive a full data package of the Imperial records and once received, he began to process through several decades' worth of data. It would take a while, but he had been separated from his Master long enough.

 **Starkiller Base, Holding Cell**

The complex restraining apparatus held Rey upright against an angled platform in the cell. She woke slowly. Disoriented, at first she thought she was alone. Her oversight was understandable, since the other person in the holding area did not move, did not make a sound, and at times scarcely seemed to breathe. Though startled by his unsettlingly silent presence, she took a moment to take stock of her surroundings. They were as different as could be imagined from her previous ones. The last thing she remembered was the confrontation in the forest on Takodana, the sounds of battle, and sending away the droid BB-8. That, and then the mind probe. The pain. Her efforts to shut it out, and the contemptuous ease with which her mental defenses had been brushed aside. Even now, there was a lingering ache at the back of her eyes. The forest was gone. So was Maz's castle. Bereft of a point of reference, she had no choice but to ask. "Where am I?"

"Does the physical location really matter so much?" In Kylo Ren's voice there was unexpected gentleness. Not quite sympathy, but something less than the hostility with which he had confronted her in the forest. "You're my guest." With an ease that was more frightening than any physical approach, he waved casually in her direction. A couple of clicks, and the restraints fell away from her arms. She tried to take the demonstration in stride as she rubbed her wrists. The last thing she wanted was for him to think he could intimidate her any more than he already had. Looking around the room, she confirmed that they were alone.

"Where are the others? The ones who were fighting with me?"

He sniffed disdainfully. "You mean the traitors, murderers, and thieves you call friends? Consider carefully now: I could easily tell you they were all killed, righteously slain in battle. But I would prefer to be honest with you from the beginning. You will be relieved to hear that as far as their current status and well-being is concerned, I have no idea."

She stared at him. Though at the moment he was calm, she could not escape the feeling that a wrong word, an unsatisfactory response, might set him off. Be very careful with this person, she told herself. He looked at her as if she had just spoken aloud. For all the chance she had of hiding her emotions from him, she realized, she might as well have voiced her thoughts.

"You still want to kill me," he murmured.

Her true self got the better of her and she replied tactlessly, despite the danger. "That happens when you're being hunted by a creature in a mask." Immediately Rey mentally kicked herself. Unkar Plutt had always warned her that her sharp tongue would get her into trouble. She had a moment to ponder his possible reaction and to fear it. But he did not do what she expected. Instead, he reached up, unlatched and removed his mask. She just stared at him in silence.

In itself the narrow face that looked back at her was not remarkable. It was almost sensitive. If not for the intensity of his gaze, Ren could have passed for someone she might have met on the dusty streets of Niima Outpost. But there was that gaze. That, and what lay simmering behind it. "Is it true?" he finally asked. "You're just a scavenger?" She didn't respond, and, perhaps sensing her embarrassment, he changed the subject. "Tell me about the droid."

She swallowed. This man was dangerous. She had to give him as little information as she could. "It's a BB unit with a selenium drive and a thermal hyperscan vindicator, internal self-correcting gyroscopic propulsion system, optics corrected to-"

"I am familiar with general droid technical specifications." He did not sound amused. "I don't need to acquire one: What I want is located in its memory. It's carrying a section of a transgalactic navigational chart. We have the rest, recovered from the archives of the Empire. We need the last piece. Somehow, you convinced the droid to show it to you. You. A simple, solitary scavenger from Jakku. How is that?" She looked away. How did he know that? By the same means he had used to learn everything else?

"I know you've seen the map," he repeated. "It's what I need. At the moment, it is all that I need." When she maintained her silence, he almost sighed. "I can take whatever I want."

Her muscles tightened. Rey did not like where this was going. Still, she had to put up a front. "Then you don't need me to tell you anything."

"True." He rose, resigned. "I would have preferred to avoid this. Despite what you may believe, it gives me no pleasure. I will go as easily as possible—but I will take what I need."

She knew that trying to resist him physically would not only be useless but would likely result in unpleasantness of a kind she preferred not to imagine. So she remained motionless and silent, her arms at her sides, as his hand rose toward her face. He touched her again, as he had in the forest on Takodana. And hesitated. What was that? Something there. Something unexpected. As she strained to resist the probe, he pushed into her, brushing aside her awkward attempts to keep him out. While he investigated her mind, he spoke softly.

"You've been so lonely," he murmured as he searched for what he needed. "So afraid to leave." A thin smile crossed his face. "At night, desperate to sleep, you'd imagine an ocean. I can see it…I can see the island."

Tears were streaming down her face from the effort she was making to withstand him. Her soul was being laid bare to this man, this creature of darkness. She didn't know the world he was talking about, but it was a place she constantly visited in her dreams. Increasingly desperate, she did try to strike out. But just as on Takodana, her body refused to respond. "And Han Solo," Ren continued relentlessly. "He feels like the father you never had. A dead end, that vision. Let it go. I can tell you for a fact he would have disappointed you."

All the rage and terror bottled up inside her came out as she turned to meet his stare. "Get! Out! Of! My! Head!."

It only made him lean in closer, enhancing her feeling of complete helplessness. "Rey, you've seen the map. It's in there. And I am going to take it. Don't be afraid."

Where the strength to defy him came from she did not know, but if anything, her voice grew a little stronger. She would fight him with all she had, even if she didn't know what she had anymore. "I'm not giving you anything."

His response reflected his unconcern. "We'll see."

Narrowing his gaze and his focus, he locked eyes with her. She met his stare without trying to look away. She should have looked away. It would have been the rational thing to do. The sane thing to do. Instead, she just glared, trying not to flinch, not to blink. Ah, he thought to himself. Something there, of interest. Not the image of the map. That would take another moment. But definitely something worth investigating. He shifted his perception toward it, seeking to identify, to analyze, to—

The barrier he encountered stopped him cold. And it was he, Kylo Ren, who blinked. It made no sense. He pushed, hard, with his mind—and the probe went nowhere. Instead, in attacking her mind, he had left himself wide open for the probe to be turned back on him. He hadn't expected her to do that! She was just a Jakku scavenger!

A look of amazement replaced the fear on Rey's face as she discovered herself inside his mind. Stunned at the realization, she found herself inexorably drawn to—to…

"You," she heard herself saying clearly, "you're afraid. That you will never be as strong as—Darth Vader!" There was a tremor in the Force, one that was felt across the galaxy by those well attuned to it.

Luke Skywalker felt it on Ahch-to, turning his gaze from the tombstone skywards. "If that's who I think it is Mara, then she'll be coming here soon enough." With that, he resumed his silent vigil.

Supreme Leader Snoke felt it in his hidden cruiser. It was a mobile base, one to keep him always on the move so that the New Republic and the Resistance would never find him. He growled. "So, the Force has awakened this new opportunity. Let's see what my Knight has to say about it."

Kylo Ren's hand pulled sharply away from her cheek as if her skin had suddenly turned white-hot. Confused, rattled, he stumbled back from her. Her gaze followed him. Her eyes were the same, but something else had changed—something behind them, in her stare and in her posture. He moved to leave and, at the last moment, gestured powerfully in her direction. The restraints that had held her wrists snapped back into place, once again securing her to the inclined platform. Then he once again donned his mask and was gone. In the corridor, a stunned Ren found that he was breathing hard. That in and of itself was unsettling. He did not know what had just transpired in the holding cell and, not knowing, was left uncertain how to proceed. He was spared further bewilderment when a trooper appeared, coming toward him. Straightening, Ren gathered himself.

The trooper halted. His evident discomfort at having to speak to Ren bolstered his superior's shaken persona. "Sir! The Supreme Leader has requested your presence." Ren nodded and headed off in the necessary direction, accompanied by the trooper. The latter did not pay any attention when the tall figure he was escorting looked back over his shoulder.

In the holding cell, Rey relaxed against the platform. That she could relax at all was significant in itself. Something of great consequence had just taken place. How and what, she did not know. She had no clue where she'd come up with Darth Vader like that. Even in her present situation she felt encouraged, though why that should be she was still uncertain. One thing was clear. She was going to be given time to think about it.

 **Aleemian System, Resistance Base on D'Qar**

Mara jolted as she felt the tremor in the Force. It wasn't like the wave of death and destruction that she had felt when the Hosnian system had been destroyed. This was more of an awakening, and it felt familiar to her. This person was powerful in the Force, and whoever it was, they had just begun to tap into that power. It didn't feel particularly attuned to the light or dark side, more like someone who had never heard of the Force before. And yet, she felt something, something similar to what she hadn't felt since she'd left Coruscant in her own dimension with two apprentices to enact the last of their Trials.

The word left her mouth before she could stop herself. "Ben?!" She didn't know why she'd uttered her son's name like that. The Force still echoed with the ripples of the tremor, and somehow they reminded her of her son. It brought the war council to a temporary halt, as Leia winced audibly as she heard her son's name, which caused Finn to stop explaining about this Starkiller Base. The pain on her face was a cold reminder to Mara's new reality. "Sorry Leia, my son, not yours."

"Wait, you have a son?!" Finn asked abruptly. He wasn't sure if he could deal with Jedi children.

"Yep," Mara said solemnly, obviously distracted. "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away." Those in the know about Mara's situation had a half-smile on their face, while the rest seemed confused. "Don't worry about me, just tell us if there's a weakness to this new Death Star."

Poe's expression tightened as he took the lead. "I wish that were the case, Master Skywalker. But in analyzing everything Finn has told us and coupling that with the information we have been able to gather, this is what we are facing." He waved a hand over a nearby control. An image of the Death Star appeared beside that of the frozen world. "This was the Death Star," the pilot observed. Another control and the image shrank, down to near nothing, until it was a small sphere beside the cold planet. "This is what Finn tells us is called Starkiller Base." Mara kept a small part of her conscious mind towards the conversation, but she was mostly focused inwards. Starkiller Base. The name rang a bell, also harkening back to her days as the Emperor's Hand. Then she remembered, project Starkiller, a secret project by Vader to try and overthrow the Emperor back in the early days of the Rebellion. She couldn't remember the details, but obviously someone in that First Order did. It was an aptly named base.

Leia stared at the unpleasant imagery. If not for the harsh fact that tens of millions of deaths were involved, the side-by-side comparisons would have been laughable. Once more, memories of the destruction of Alderaan flooded back and once more she had to force them aside. "How can they power a weapon of such magnitude?" she asked.

"They use the nearby star as a fuel source," Finn explained, pointing at the image of the base. "General Hux told us it's the most powerful weapon ever built. He said that it can reach halfway across the galaxy." Fresh murmurs of disbelief greeted this latest assertion. "And in real time. Because it doesn't reach across the galaxy; it reaches through it." He shook his head, which was starting to hurt from the effort of trying to explain what he had overheard but did not understand.

Han Solo understood, all right. Understood what had to be done. "Okay, so it's impossible, and it's big. How do we blow it up?" The attention in the room shifted to him. His expression was knowing. "I don't care how big it is; there's always a way to do that." Having cut through the science, he waited for suggestions. None were forthcoming.

"We have to wait until the technical staff have run their detailed analysis," Admiral Ackbar growled. "Then, once they've done that-"

Leia cut him off. Han grinned, but not so she could see it. She was good at cutting people off, he knew that all too well. "We don't have time to wait on analyses and scientific hypotheses. Han's right. We have to act, and act now." He eyed her in surprise. "This is the moment that counts," she continued. "Everything we've ever fought for is at stake. We can't wait on theories. We need something, anything, so we can fight back!" She straightened. "We have to take this weapon down before it can be used again."

It was not surprising to her that it was Admiral Statura, the most senior officer in the room with an actual scientific background, who finally put forth a notion. "I can't prove this, but for this amount of power to be restrained until such time as it is released, or fired, there has to be some new, advanced kind of containment field." He nodded toward Finn. "Our friend here confirms as much. The question is: What kind of field?"

"I heard that it involved the planet's own magnetic field," Finn told him, "and something more."

"Yes, yes." Statura was deep in thought. "A planetary magnetic field, even a strong one, would not be enough to contain the amount of energy that we have seen deployed. Also as you say, Finn, there is more involved. I am thinking some kind of oscillating field. If it oscillates rapidly enough, much less energy would be required to sustain it than if it was maintained at a steady state."

"I don't know about stuff like that." Finn leaned into the holographic map and enlarged a section of planetary surface until a massive hexagonal structure came into view. "But this is where the containment and oscillation field control system is located."

Statura was most pleased. "Excellent, Finn!" The admiral's gaze traveled around the circle of colleagues. "But disabling this, while a relatively straightforward proposition, would not necessarily destroy the weapon—only render it temporarily unusable until the control system could be rebuilt."

"We'd likely get only one shot at it," Poe put in. "What Admiral Ackbar said about keeping it secret would only work as long as its location remains unknown. Once the First Order realizes that we know where it is, they'd throw everything they've got into defending it with ships, mobile stations, and long-range detectors. We might never get close to it again."

Leia nodded agreement. "Then our first attack must succeed." She looked across at Statura. "Where do you recommend we strike, Admiral?"

"Assuming for the moment that my hurried supposition is reasonably correct, the weapon would be at its most vulnerable when, as it were, it is fully loaded." Once again he regarded the others. "If the containment field oscillator were somehow destroyed at that moment, it would release the accumulated energy not in a line of fire, but throughout the planetary core where it is being held. If it did not result in the complete destruction of the base, at the very least it would permanently cripple the weapon."

His flare of white hair and beard giving him the look of a prophet, Major Ematt spoke up. "Maybe even the entire planet on which it's based."

As the discussion continued, an officer appeared and handed Leia a readout. She studied it intently as the debate swirled around her.

"None of this is possible," a downcast Ackbar postulated. "While the planet in question may at present be deliberately underdefended, the instant we move forces out of hiding and in its direction, the First Order will realize that we know the location of the weapon. They will mobilize everything in the vicinity to protect it. Their fleet is too large for us to fight our way through. Additionally, despite what Poe theorizes, I would wager they must already have at least a minimal planetary shield in place. Plainly, they can access the energy to support such a defense." He looked at Finn, whose reply was not encouraging.

"Yes, such a shield does exist."

"The situation could not be worse," C-3PO groaned.

Raising a hand for attention, Leia held up the readout. "According to this, we don't have time to study the situation even if we decided to do so. Our team has detected an enormous quantity of energy surging toward the world Finn has identified for us. That can only mean one thing." She paused for emphasis. "They're loading the weapon again. I think we can all take a good guess as to what their next target will be."

C-3PO lowered his golden head in despair. "I was wrong. It can be worse. It can always be worse." Hearing this, Mara came out of her reverie, and began to pay full attention to her surroundings. This awakening in the Force that she had felt could wait. After all, she wouldn't be able to figure out what caused it if she was dead from this superweapon.

Seeing the downcast expressions of those around him, Poe reached out and indicated the containment control structure. "They may raise their shields, but if we can find a way past them, we can and will hit that oscillator with everything we've got."

Han grinned broadly. "I like this guy."

Mara was skeptical, as getting by a planetary shield was no easy task. "So how are we supposed to get past these shields to attack?"

Han was not so easily discouraged. "Okay, so first we disable the shields." He turned to Finn. "Kid, you worked there. Whatcha got?"

Finn's eyes slowly widened as he thought back. "I can do it. Shut down their shields. I—" He was nodding vigorously, as much to himself as to the others. "I know where the relevant controls are located." Realization dampened some of his initial enthusiasm. "But I need to be there, of course. On the planet, with access to the location."

"I'll get you there." Mara knew that dangerous gleam in Han's eye.

Gazing at Han, Leia saw something that had been absent from her life for a long, long time: Solo bravado. "Han, how?"

He grinned broadly at her. She had missed that, too, she realized. "If I told you, you wouldn't like it."

"Don't worry Leia, it's just another suicide run that he's going to somehow survive with both him and the Falcon mostly intact," Mara said nonchalantly, "And all thanks to that Solo luck."

An energized Poe took over. "All right, so we disable their shields, take out the containment oscillation controls, and destroy their big gun. Even if it can fire halfway across the galaxy and it's too big for us to destroy, we can make sure it blows itself to pieces. Sounds like a plan. Let's move!" With that, the meeting was adjourned, Leia beginning the preparations for the assault. Mara confronted Han as he got up.

"Hey, flyboy, you wanna tell me how you're going to get past the shields?"

Han brushed her off. "No, not really."

Mara got in his way. "Listen Han, this little stealth mission of yours to take out the shields, you're gonna need backup, more than just Chewie and an ex-trooper."

"I've gotten out of worse situations without the ex-trooper," Han shot back, "Remind me to tell you about how we caught that third rathtar on Trillia Three."

It took Mara three whole seconds for all of Han's words to sink in. "Hold up, rathtars?!" Han simply grinned.

 **Hoo boy, Captain Solo has some explaining to do. We have our first sight of Rey, who's literal Force awakening (at least that's how it felt to me when she pulled out the mind trick out of nowhere later) had ripples that caused some curious reactions from some certain people, I'm sure you all can guess where I'm going with it. Next chapter it's off to the base for some stealthy shenanigans.**

 **Response to Guest Reviews (In order with which they reviewed)**

 **Guest: It's entirely debatable over which Han suffered more, the one who lost his best friend and son as they died as heroes, or the Han who had his son live long enough to become the villain. I respect your opinion, though given that Han abandoned the New Republic after Ben turned dark, going back to smuggling (and losing the** _ **Falcon!**_ **), well, it's tough to say which one suffered more.**

 **Guest: You just had to bring that up…kriffin spoilers, lol**

 **Guest (can't somebody come up with an interesting guest name?): Oooo, boy, Mara meeting Kylo is something you will not want to miss.**

 **Guest: I'm well aware of all the hints and the looks and all the signs that point towards Rey Skywalker. However, in staying loyal with the movie, I'm keeping this Rey's official parentage under wraps until the moment is right. So I will neither confirm nor deny your allegations about the parallels between Rey and the official Skywalker line, lol**

 **Guest (seriously, can't someone come up with some name other than the same old guest stuff?): 1) As of this point, Mara has not seen a Skywalker kill another nor would she expect something like that, so why would she warn Han to stay away from a dark-sider, even if it's his son, when it's kinda common sense to stay away from someone like that. Yes, she'll be a part of the rescue team, as will Kat (Noslen's injured thanks to Kylo's interference during the battle of Takodana), but what role will they play during the mission? You'll have to find out.**

 **2) I honestly don't know, but from what I've read of the old canon, Yoda and Kenobi both realized that the old Order had stagnated, which was partially why Palpatine managed to take over, so Luke was allowed to let the Order evolve (hence why he relaxed the rule on having families), so they were accepting of the New Order, so I'll be basing Luke off the old canon (at least until the poodoo hit the fan and the Jedi were massacred) for his New Jedi Order in this. At least until episode 8 comes out.**

 **3) That will show up at some point, where exactly I'm not sure, but when the moment is right, you'll know**

 **4) You'll have to wait and see for when that event takes place.**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review, as any and all constructive criticism is welcome. As an author, I'm always looking to improve and I like to hear your thoughts about the chapter.**

 **Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


	8. Hyperspace Travel: not what it used tobe

**So, within the chaos that is the college semester, it's time for another chapter of the story that has gotten a lot more attention than I expected. Over a hundred follows! It's all thanks to you guys! Now, the disclaimer!**

 **Finn: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars is owned by Lucasfilm, Disney, and George Lucas. Please support the official release!**

 **Chapter 8: Hyperspace Transit; Not what it used to be**

Mara was impressed with the speed with which this ragtag Resistance prepared for combat. A lot of the members she had conversed with were apparently ex-military, which helped with the process immensely. X-Wings were prepped for takeoff, emergency transports were being prepared if the worst case scenario were to happen. Mara didn't want to think about that possibility, not when she was going to aid the stealth team herself, but she had to admit that Leia was always prepared, no matter which dimension. Her task was focused on the Falcon, at the moment. After the briefing she'd heard from Han about the recent antics of the old Corellian transport, she wasn't sure if Han should've been loading the Falcon. She heard a roar and looked up to see Chewie standing on top of the Falcon, informing Han of something.

"Check the horizontal booster!" Han yelled back, tense. "I don't care what the readouts say, visual checks always give the best results." He turned around to see Finn bobbling what looked like several metal sphere. "Be careful with those Finn, they're explosives. One of those suckers go off and we're all dead."

Finn stopped dead in his motion, looking at the load he was carrying with a newfound fear. "They are?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Didn't want to make you nervous," Han replied simply. "When you've finished loading those, go talk with one of the techs and see if you can scrounge up a backup thermal regulator for the _Falcon._ "

Mara allowed herself a brief smile before calling Han's name, getting his attention. "Listen, shouldn't we be taking the _Jade Shadow_? I mean, the _Falcon_ 's been who knows where-"

"Jakku," Han grumbled.

"And we don't know what sort of mods have been made of her since you lost her," Mara continued, not missing a beat.

"That's why I'm running diagnostics now," Han countered.

Mara shook her head. Han Solo was always obstinate. "And if something comes up?"

"I'll deal with it," came the simple response.

"You know, the last time I was on the _Falcon_ , the ion flux stabilizer was acting up," Mara pointed out. "And it nearly got us killed."

"But you aren't dead," Han pointed out, "So everything went alright. I don't trust anything that isn't the _Falcon_ anyways. My mission, my ship."

Mara sighed. At this point, nothing was going to change the smuggler's mind. She sensed Leia coming up behind them and decided it was better to simply prep for the mission than waste time arguing with Solo. "Fine, Captain, but once we get to the planet, I'm taking the lead."

"Wouldn't want our great former Inquisitor to get all huffy," Han grumbled.

"Emperor's Hand, not Inquisitor," Mara corrected as she boarded the _Falcon_. It had been awhile since she'd had to dig out her old assassin pack, which contained some specialized explosives, smoke bombs, an old vibroblade, and a splicer given to her by Ghent. She paused as Han's word's registered in her head, but decided not to comment on it. She found Katerina in the _Falcon_ 's lounge, playing against the computer in a game of dejarik on the holotable.

"Master, were you ever this nervous when you went on one of your missions?" the young Jedi asked, brown eyes staring intently at the board as she watched the creatures walked around on the board.

"You cannot allow yourself to dwell on what may happen if you fail," Mara responded. She sat down on the couch opposite from Kat and toggled the CPU controls to her, moving the ronto on the board into a better position and earning a scowl from Kat. "But yes, I've been nervous before. It's okay to feel a little nervous so long as you don't let it consume you."

"How'd you do that?" Kat asked, looking up at Mara. The Jedi Master could see the concern in her eyes. She really didn't want to fail this mission.

"Back in my days as the Hand, I always had a laser focus on the target. I didn't think about anything else. I couldn't afford to," Mara explained. "When I met Skywalker and became a Jedi, there was less pressure to succeed, so the nerves didn't surface as often. It's a simple matter of taking a deep breath and relaxing. The Force will guide you, Kat. Let it flow through you, and you will find that any nervous tension you're having now will simply drift away."

"Yes Master," Kat said simply.

"And go help Finn load the explosives," Mara ordered. "It's always good to have a task to take your mind off things. And the poor man could use some company."

"Understood."

 **Starkiller Base**

In the vast, darkened assembly chamber of Starkiller Base were only two figures: one tall and uncertain, the other looming and imperious. For all their isolation, they seemed to somehow fill the room. There was as much curiosity in Supreme Leader Snoke's voice as there was disappointment. "This scavenger, this girl, resisted you?!"

"That's all she is, yes. A scavenger from that inconsequential Jakku. Completely untrained, but strong with the Force. Stronger than she knows." His mask off, Ren replied with what seemed to be his usual assurance. No one else would have sensed a difference. Snoke did.

The Supreme Leader's voice was flat. "You have compassion for her."

Ren's denial was as emphatic as it was hollow. "No—never. Compassion? For an enemy of the Order?"

"I perceive the problem," Snoke uttered with the authority that he had gathered for a long time. "It isn't her strength that is making you fail. It's your weakness." The rebuke hurt, but Ren didn't show it. "Where is the droid?"

Smooth and unctuous, the voice of General Hux rang out in the assembly hall before Ren could respond. "Ren believed it was no longer of value to us." Turning, the quietly livid younger man followed the approach of the increasingly confident officer. "He believed that the girl was all we need. That he could obtain from her everything necessary. As a result, although we cannot be certain, it is likely that the droid has been returned to the hands of the enemy." The General gave Ren a satisfied smirk, like a older brother would give the younger when the former knew the latter was in trouble.

Though visibly angry, Snoke's tone remained unchanged. "Have we located the main Resistance base?"

Hux was clearly gratified to be the bearer of good news. "We were able to track their reconnaissance ship back to the Aleemian system. We are coordinating with our own reconnaissance craft in the area in order to lock down the specific location of their base."

Snoke replied with cold satisfaction. "We do not need it. Prepare the weapon. Destroy their system."

Collected and composed as he was, Hux was not immune to surprise. "The system? Supreme Leader, according to the most recent galographics, at least two and possibly three habitable worlds circle Aleemian. Following the destruction of the Hosnian worlds, would it not be worthwhile simply to destroy their base and claim the remainder for the Order? We will have the location of the base within a matter of hours and—"

Snoke cut him off. "We cannot wait. Not even for hours. Hours that may permit as little as one ship to depart with the information that will allow them to find Skywalker. That would be one ship too many. The more time we give them, the more likely the chance, however slight, that they will find Skywalker and convince him to return to challenge our power. As soon as the weapon is fully charged, I want the entire Aleemian system destroyed."

Daring to disagree and perhaps to look better in front of Hux, Ren took a step forward. "No, Supreme Leader, I can get the map from the girl, and that will be the end of it. I just need your guidance."

"And you promised me when it came to destroying the Resistance you wouldn't fail me." The threatening figure of Snoke leaned toward Kylo Ren. "Who knows if copies of the map have already been made and sent out of the system, to other, minor Resistance outposts? But those who are most aware of its significance will all likely be gathered at their main base. Destroy that, destroy them, and we may at least feel a little more confident that the way to Skywalker is eradicated. Even if copies have been made and exported, the annihilation of their leadership will give pause to any survivors who might dare to contemplate further resistance to us." He sat back. "For that reason alone I would order the destruction of the system, even if there was no assurance it would also put an end to this accursed map." He turned to Hux. "General, prepare the weapon, with the same efficiency you have already demonstrated."

"Yes, Supreme Leader!" Buoyed by the praise, Hux turned and strode quickly out of the hall. That left Snoke to fix his eyes on its sole remaining occupant.

"Kylo Ren. It appears that a reminder is in order. We have both felt the awakening in the Force, but I sense there is something more to this than just Luke Skywalker. No, there is another Skywalker and she is coming."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Why would Leia come here? They can't possibly know the location of this base."

"No, she is not the daughter of Vader," Snoke mused, "But she is powerful nonetheless. So I will show you the dark side. Bring the girl to me."

 **Aleemian System, D'Qar, Resistance Base**

"No matter how much we fought," Leia said to Han outside the _Millennium Falcon_ , "I always hated watching you leave."

Han grinned. "That's why I left. To make you miss me."

For the first time in quite a while, she laughed freely. It was infectious, happy, and, these days, all too rare. "Well, thank you for that, anyway."

He turned reflective. "It wasn't all bad, was it? I know we argued a lot." He smiled affectionately. "Maybe it's because we both have such shy, retiring personalities. Of course, if you'd only done what I said…"

"And you'd only done what I asked," she countered with a smile.

He chuckled softly. "I mean, some of it was good."

"Pretty good," she agreed, nodding.

"Some things never change."

"Yep." She glanced downward, remembering, then met his gaze once more. "You still drive me crazy."

"Crazy as in crazy good, or crazy as in borderline insane?" Thirty long years and that lopsided grin of Solo's still melted her heart.

"Probably a little of both," Leia admitted.

He put his hands on her shoulders, and those thirty years fell away in an instant. It was like they were back on Endor, celebrating the destruction of the Death Star and the beginning of the end of the Empire. "Leia, there's something I've been wanting to say to you for a long time."

Fighting to hold back tears, she put a finger to his lips. "Tell me when you get back." She didn't want to spoil the moment.

He started to object, then caught himself. There'd been too much arguing over the years, he knew. This time he really might not come back; the last thing he wanted was to part on even a semblance of a spat. Instead, he took her into his arms, which really was much better than arguing, or even talking. They stood like that for a long moment, holding tightly to each other.

"If you see our son," Leia whispered, "bring him home."

He nodded without speaking. If nothing else, in thirty years he had learned when to be quiet.

 **Starkiller Base, Holding Cell**

Rey's mind was still on that encounter with that man, Kylo Ren. She had gleaned his name from her incursion into his mind, but she couldn't believe it. What had happened? Shackled and unable to move, Rey lay on the inclined platform in her restraints, pondering the encounter with Kylo Ren. At first there had been the same pain and fear she had felt in the forest on Takodana. It had intensified as he had probed deeper and she had fought to resist. Then—she had resisted. More than that, it was as if her resistance had somehow turned the probing back on him. For a brief instant, _she_ had been in _his_ mind. She could remember clearly his shock, then concern, and finally a retreat. He had pulled away from her, and out of her mind, with a suddenness that bespoke—not fright; something else. Apprehension, she decided. Whatever she had done had thrown him badly off balance. He had withdrawn: no doubt not only to consider what had taken place, but also to decide how to proceed with her. That meant, most likely, he would be back. She would do anything to avoid that.

And that is what she proceeded to do. If she could push him out of her mind and enter his, what else could she do? What might she be able to do with regard to someone else? Someone less skilled, untrained in the ways of the Force? The single guard posted just inside the front of her cell, for example? A memory came to her mind, unbidden, but almost as if something had awoken inside of her and told her what she needed to do. She was three years old again, watching a man wave a black gloved hand in front of a green-skinned Twi'lek dancer.

"You will take us to your boss," the man said in a kind voice, and Rey could feel the power behind his words, as well as the disarming tone.

"I will take you to my boss," the Twi'lek repeated in a distant tone and turned around to lead the two of them to someplace, a place Rey was not familiar with. The memory faded and Rey was 18 again. At least, she figured she was 18. It's hard to keep track of one's age when you're a scavenger of Jakku. Still, Rey figured that she could at least try to do what the man did, though with her hands restrained, she couldn't exactly do the wave of the hand the man had done.

"You!" Rey shouted, getting the stormtrooper's attention. He turned toward her, patently unconcerned and a little bored. She studied him closely. As he was about to speak, she addressed him clearly and firmly—and not only with her voice. "You will remove these restraints, and you will leave this cell, with the door open, and retire to your quarters."

The guard eyed her silently. He did not look in the least intimidated. In fact, he seemed rather amused at her order. Finally, he spoke "You're joking, right? I'll tighten those restraints and continue guarding this cell, Rebel scum!"

Her confidence wavering as she shifted slightly in her bonds, she repeated what she had said with as much authority as she could muster. She pushed out with her mind as well as her voice. "You will remove these restraints, and you will leave this cell, with the door open, and retire to your quarters. You will speak of this encounter to no one."

Raising the heavy, black-and-white rifle he held, he came toward her. Heart pounding, she watched him approach. Was she going to be killed, freed, or maybe laughed at? Halting before her, he looked down into her eyes. When he spoke again, there was a notable alteration in his voice. It was significantly less confrontational and, perhaps most importantly, distant. "I will remove these restraints, and leave this cell, with the door open, and retire to my living quarters. I will speak of this encounter to no one."

Working methodically, he unlatched her shackles. He stood and stared at her for a moment, then turned and wordlessly started for the doorway. Lying in shock on the reclined platform, Rey hardly knew what to do next. She was free, relatively speaking. She was still on an unknown planet in the bowels of an unknown base with who knows how many people that would eagerly put her back in her cell. That hardly constituted freedom. But it was a start.

As the guard reached the doorway, she spoke hastily, realizing what she was going to need if she wanted to escape the base. "And you will drop your weapon."

"And I will drop my weapon," he responded in the same uninflected voice. This he proceeded to do, dropping the rifle down on the floor, then turning left into the outside corridor to depart in silence. For a long moment she stared at the open portal. Deciding that it was not a joke and that the guard was not waiting for her just outside the cell, she moved to pick up the weapon and leave. One step at a time.

 **Hyperspace Transit**

The journey out from the Resistance Base was uneventful, as was the jump to hyperspace. The Jedi that had helped Finn load the explosives was meditating in the lounge, leaving Finn to his thoughts. Normally there was something relaxing about traveling in hyperspace, Finn mused. There was no fighting in hyperspace and very rarely any kind of surprise, unless an Interdictor Cruiser was in play, but those were expensive to produce, and as such were few and far between. Hyperspace travel allowed time for reflection, for casual conversation with comrades, for checking out and preparing one's equipment. Not this time. Not in the course of this jump. Weary of living with only his own thoughts and not getting a response from the introspective Jedi, he left the lounge and moved forward into the cockpit, where he found Han and Chewbacca in their respective seats, monitoring the journey. Mara sat right behind the Wookiee, looking rather preoccupied as she went over a mental checklist of her own. She had asked Han how they were going to get past the shields, but the smuggler remained tightlipped about it until they had jumped. Even now, he had only given her vague hints, hints that did nothing to stifle the vague prickle of danger sense creeping up her spine.

"I haven't asked you," Mara said to the pilot as Finn entered. "How are we getting in?"

Han explained without looking up from his console. "Any kind of defense will be geared to guard against an attack in force. They shouldn't be prepared for an attempt by a single ship to slip in. That would obviously be suicide."

Mara nodded as she pondered this. "Okay, now I'm really encouraged. Let's say that your optimistic assessment is wrong, and they're even prepared to detect and destroy a single ship. How do we avoid that in a ship without a cloaking device?"

"Are you still salty that we aren't taking your precious _Jade Shadow_?" Han asked, which only got a scowl from her. "No planetary defense system can be sustained at a constant rate. It would take too much power, even for your Starkiller base. Besides, it isn't necessary. All planetary shields have a fractional refresh. Instead of being constantly 'on,' they fluctuate at a predetermined rate. Keeps anything traveling less than lightspeed from getting through. Theoretically, a ship could get its nose in when a shield is off. Half a second later, the shield snaps back on and, well, it isn't good for anyone on that ship."

"I get that," Mara said, irritated. "You still haven't answered the question; how are we getting in without being cut in half by an oscillating shield?"

"Easy." The way Han said the word made it sound like the simplest thing in the world. "We won't be going slower than lightspeed."

"What?!" Mara exploded, leaping out of her seat. "Are you insane?!"

"I ask myself that at least twice a day," Han muttered

Unsure he'd heard correctly, Finn gaped at him. "We're gonna make our landing approach at lightspeed? Nobody's ever done that! At least, I've never heard of anybody ever doing it." One did not have to be fluent in the Wookiee language to get the gist of Chewbacca's comment.

Han smiled pleasantly. "We're coming up on the system. I'd sit down, if I were you. Chewie, get ready."

"Captain Solo, you are not a Jedi, how in the world are you going to time it correctly?" Mara said quickly. "And I've got a bad feeling about this."

"I've got this sweetheart," Han said in a tone that was meant to reassure her, but in fact did the exact opposite.

As the wide-eyed Finn scrambled for a seat and harness and found himself wishing for a number of very large, soft pads, Chewbacca groaned his readiness. Han studied the readouts before him. The Wookiee raised a hand over his own console.

"And…" Han followed the declining fractions intently. "Now!"

Human and Wookiee hands flew over the main console, supplementing as best they could the approach and landing information they had preprogrammed into the Falcon's instrumentation. Not unexpectedly, more than one last-second override was required in order to make the ship do something that was against its nature and perform maneuvers for which it had never been designed. Mara stepped forward, using the Force to hold herself to the floor as the _Falcon_ shuddered, complaining as it hit the edge of the gravity well. Hyperspace travel was never designed to travel in the gravity well of a planet, it was suicide. Mara decided that she had to act, in order for their very survival. She reached out and pulled on the lever Han was reaching for a split second before he did, the old Corellian transport shuddering in complaint with how she was being treated. And just like that, they were inside the shields.

At that point they were traveling at very much sublightspeed, continuing to slow at an incredible rate, and heading above snow-covered ground directly for a forest that was not as tall but was far denser than the one on D'Qar. Chewbacca howled loudly enough for Finn to hear him clearly above the wild, blaring alarms.

"I am pulling up!" Han yelled as he fought with the wayward controls. While the trees were packed more closely together than those that formed a canopy above the Resistance base, they were much smaller in diameter. The _Falcon_ pulled up just in time to skim over the treetops, though Han dipped the _Falcon_ low enough that the ship was below the tree line, branches and limbs shattering against the viewport as the YT Freighter plowed through them. Chewbacca roared something at Han.

"Any higher, they'll see us!" Han shouted. Of course, if the vicinity of the First Order base was monitored by ground-scanning satellites, they were likely to be seen anyway. They could only hope that the instruments on board any such reconnaissance craft were aimed out toward space and not down at the landscape. Mara used the Force to help Han and Chewbacca slow the _Falcon_ down as much as they could, toggling a switch here, Force pulling a lever there, little things that the two smugglers wouldn't have been able to do on their own. Aided as they were by the trees in slowing down, they were still going too fast for Mara's liking. Using the Force like she had never used it before, Mara actually began to pull back on the _Falcon_ , slowing it down just in time for the forest to end. The old transport hovered in the air on her repulsorlifts, a good 10 feet away from a sheer cliff. Without a word, Han lowered the _Falcon_ onto the snow, finding out just how deep the snow was as his ship sank into the snow. Half buried in the snow, the _Falcon_ settled down gently, on the planet and intact.

With a sigh of relief, Finn unbuckled from the harness he'd used to secure himself. "We are never doing that again." Chewbacca groaned an agreement.

"Oh yeah?" Han responded, turning to face his copilot. "You try it!" The Wookiee growled something that made Han scowl and Mara wince. Having succinctly delivered himself of his opinion of the most recent effort at piloting by the ship's captain, Chewbacca rose from his seat and headed back to the lounge to get himself something to drink. He decided he was going to need it to steady himself for this mission.

"Don't have too much of the Wooskie," Han called after him.

"Wooskie?" Finn repeated, confused.

"Wookiee whiskey," Han explained, "Potent stuff, a couple of shots will get a lightweight like yourself wasted. A blast at parties."

"For who, exactly," Mara asked, remembering an unpleasant encounter with that particular alcoholic beverage. The hangover that following morning had been seared in her memory.

"Those that can handle it," Han retorted, looking at the readouts. "That should've gone better."

"We're down, we're alive, in one piece," Finn said, "What more could you have asked for?"

"That was too rough for my liking," Han answered, "Was a time when it wouldn't have."

"Could've been a lot worse," Mara pointed out. "Just imagine what could've happened if I hadn't been here." Han just grunted, still looking at what the scanners told him. He wasn't willing to admit it, but the Jedi Master had been a huge help with this landing.

 **So, a bit of a less bumpy landing for this one, eh? Some things have changed with Mara's presence, and I did my best to explain why Rey was able to perform the mind trick. Now our heroes are on Starkiller Base, which means we're getting closer to that exciting climax. Should be fun. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Response to Guest Reviews (In order with which they reviewed)**

 **Guest: That's exactly what happened, as planned from the beginning.**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review, as any and all constructive criticism is welcome. As an author, I'm always looking to improve and I like to hear your thoughts about the chapter.**

 **Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


	9. Stealth Mission Shenanigans

**My apologies everybody. Life happened. I have not abandoned this story though. I hate when people abandon their stories and I promise I will not drop this one. I just had a lot happen to me these past few months. I will try to update more regularly, but I will never abandon this story. Now, for the chapter you've all been waiting so patiently for.**

 **Katerina: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars is owned by Lucasfilm, Disney, and George Lucas. Please support the official release!**

 **Chapter 9: Stealth Mission Shenanigans**

"Why did it have to be a freezing cold planet?" Katerina complained to no one in particular as they made their way through the forest. Finn led the way, followed closely by Mara. Kat followed her, a little engulfed in the large fur coat Han had lent her. The two smugglers followed, covering their tracks in the snow with a tree branch, just in case some random stormtrooper patrol decided to pass by. They'd already spent some time putting a bit of camouflage on the _Falcon_ and were now following the former stormtrooper towards what he said would be the best entrance to sneak into the base.

"You think this is bad," Han began knowingly, "Try spending a night on Hoth."

Kat smiled under her borrowed coat, even as her teeth chattered in the cold. "Already did. That absolutely sucked." Chewbacca rumbled something that sounded suspiciously like laughter at Han's raised eyebrow, which prompted Kat to respond with "No, we didn't need to cut open a tauntaun."

"Very funny Chewie," Han grumbled, glancing around for any sign of a probe droid. The First Order had definitely improved upon the original design from the Empire, making them stealthier and better suited for scouting a perimeter. He'd had a close encounter with those things during a smuggler's run on Jabiim while recruiting for rathtar hunters and he had no desire to deal with them again.

Meanwhile, Finn and Mara were peering through the tree as they led the way, senses alert for any sort of First Order scouts. The edge of the forest was nearing, according to Finn, so Mara was scanning, with both her regular senses, still keen from all her training as the Emperor's Hand, and with the Force. Ben had recently been showing her how he had gotten so good at detecting droids, so she was searching for both people actually giving off Force signatures and signatures that were unique to droids. Normally, droids weren't perceptible with the Force alone. That was how they had managed to get the jump on so many Jedi throughout the Clone Wars.

"Probe droid patrol should be coming around in the next ten minutes," Finn warned her, "We need to get inside soon or start hiding now." It was almost as if he had read her thoughts.

"Should we use the forest for cover?" Mara asked Finn, "You're the one with all the intel about this place." She was looking at Finn, but mentally, she was looking for clusters of electricity that were seemingly moving about on their own. That was how Ben had described droids to her and she found that it was a great way to detect droids using the Force. In this natural environment, she could feel the clump of electricity underground that signified the base, but there were no small clusters of electricity moving towards them at the moment.

"If we hurry we can make it to the flooding tunnels," Finn replied, glancing around nervously. "It'll be just over the ridge past this forest."

"Finn, I know there's a lot riding on this mission," Mara began gently, "But I could feel your nerves from Tangrene if I tried. You need to relax."

"I'm trying!" Finn snapped, not exactly reassuring Mara.

The Jedi Master blinked as she noticed a slight dimming in the light. Stepping out of the forest onto the mountain ridge, she looked up to see energy streaming from the bright star in the sky towards a point beyond the horizon. "I've seen a lot in my time, from Yuuzhan Vong terraforming to deformed Imperial experiments, but this. This takes insane to a whole new level."

 **Starkiller Base: Interior**

"Sir!" came the crisp voice of a First Order Captain, getting the attention of Kylo Ren as he stalked the corridors, hunting the scavenger. Despite her immense power, the base was simply too big and prevented Kylo from getting a fix on anyone further than a hundred yards away. "She was not in Hanger 718. But we have every trooper on alert."

"Put every hanger on lockdown," Ren commanded, "She's going to try and escape and-" he cut himself off, whirling around as though he had been stung.

"Sir?" the officer asked cautiously, a little concerned. These mystics were always a bother to him, and while he couldn't deny their usefulness in combat, he did question why they were always given a position of supreme power while the rest of the people, by some genetic quirk, had to earn their way like any other mere mortal.

Kylo Ren ignored the officer. He knew what he had felt. He whispered a name to himself, a name the officer couldn't quite catch, but it didn't matter to the Knight of Ren. "Han Solo…" He was going to prove himself, to the Supreme Leader, to his grandfather Lord Vader, and perhaps most importantly, to himself.

 **Starkiller Base Exterior**

The group ran forward across the open snow covered ground towards a bunker in the center of the wide open field. It wasn't quite a full on sprint, but still fast enough to avoid detection from any scanner in the area. Finn took cover by the metal structure, peering around the corner for any signs of activity. "There's our way in, through the flooding tunnels," he said confidently.

Mara nodded as she looked over the wide mountain range in the distance and the crevice next to it, steam rising from the cracks. This planet-weapon was certainly something Palpatine would have loved to have gotten his hands on, though Mara figured he preferred the cold metal of a portable Death Star more than hollowing out a stationary planet. "How many guards can we expect in there?"

"About a couple of patrols, but none in the tunnels," Finn answered.

"What was your job when you were based here?" Han asked, curious.

"Sanitation," came the simple reply. There was a two second pause as Finn's response registered within everyone's consciousness. Han grabbed Finn by the shoulder and threw him against the wall of the metal structure they were using for cover.

"Sanitation?!" he growled at Finn, the young man finding himself looking into the infuriated eyes of both the smuggler and the Jedi Master. Finn gulped. Mara took a deep breath and turned around. This was their only asset with any information on how to get through this Starkiller base and NOW he was revealing what his occupation was. As small-time as a sanitation job was, he still knew his way around the interior, so Mara didn't write him off as a non-asset. Not with so much at stake. Han was not as calm. "Then how do you know how to disable the shields?!"

"I don't! I'm just here to get Rey." Now Mara was irate. This was not how she'd envisioned this mission to be going. She had thought the determination she'd felt from Finn was for saving the galaxy from this monstrosity they were standing on. Mara rounded on Finn, ignoring the temptation to use the Force on Finn in a myriad of ways.

"So you mean to tell me, that with the trillions of lives at stake here," Mara began slowly, deliberately in fact, "That you undertook this mission not to stop this superweapon but instead to rescue a girl?!"

"Well – I –" Finn spluttered but Mara cut off his feeble excuses.

"The entire kriffing galaxy is counting on us to stop the First Order here before they can destroy another system!" Mara told him.

Kat huddled up next to Chewbacca as he watched their rear. "And here I t-thought it c-couldn't get any worse," she commented to the Wookie as she shivered in the cold. Chewbacca groaned at her in response, reaching a large hairy arm out and yanking the young Jedi close to him, engulfing her in his fur. It wasn't much in terms of warmth, but it was better than nothing out here.

Finn, meanwhile was getting his bravado back. "We'll figure it out when we get inside!" He glanced at the lightsaber on Mara's hip and brightened. "We'll use the Force!"

Few statements were asinine enough to leave Mara Jade Skywalker, former Emperor's Hand and Jedi Master, speechless, but that comment from Finn managed to number among that few. Han was not quite as stunned by Finn's statement, practically yelling "That's not how the Force works!" Mara turned away, pinching the brow of her nose in an attempt to maintain her cool. A part of her wondered how Luke would've taken that. Probably with that calm, almost serene smile of his. Her Ben would've definitely gotten a chuckle out of that. She felt a pang for her missing family back in her dimension, then clamped down on that emotion as well. This was an important mission, and she couldn't afford any distractions. Not at this important stage. Chewbacca groaned at Han, getting the smuggler's attention.

"Oh really, you're cold?!" Han asked sarcastically. The Wookie growled again, indicating the shivering young Jedi he was sheltering from the biting wind.

"J-just a little," Kat admitted, though she could feel Chewbacca shivering as well. It seemed that despite all the fur the Wookie had, he was feeling the sting of the cold just as much as she was. Han just rolled his eyes as the group began to trudge onwards.

 **Starkiller Base Interior**

Rey was trying very hard not to panic. There were so many corridors, and all of her senses were on alert. Hearing the footsteps of another squad, Rey ducked behind the corner, waiting until they had marched past before darting towards the next opening. She had to get out of this base! Ducking into the corner by the doorway, she peered into the next room, although room hardly did it justice. This doorway lead into a huge cavern with an even larger crevice. More importantly though, it appeared that this room was a hanger, with a large opening out onto whatever planet she was on, a couple of TIE Fighters sitting near the exit. Unfortunately for the Jakku scavenger, there were several Stormtroopers in between her and those TIE Fighters that could possibly get her out of this hell hole. Something told her to turn around, and glancing back, she saw a door open up and another small squad of troopers was marching her way. They hadn't seen her, but Rey knew she had to keep moving. It was dangerous staying in one spot too long. Glancing forward again, she noticed the chasm in front of her wasn't natural, but in fact covered by several metal structures that looked very climbable. An idea sprang into Rey's mind, and she didn't hesitate, strapping the stormtrooper blaster she carried onto her back. Rey darted forward and climbed off the ledge onto the metal siding. None too soon, the troopers began to pass her by. She desperately hoped that none of them would be tempted to glance over the side.

"Do you think this is another drill?" she heard one of the troopers ask his companions.

"Who knows?" responded another. "Whatever Kylo Ren orders, we do." Rey waited for several heartbeats before she decided to get a move on. These sidings had several convenient handholds, most likely for maintenance workers, and it made her task that much easier than her scavenging trips on Jakku. Rey climbed down to a lever and pulled said lever, allowing her into the maintenance tunnels. So much had gone right for her so far, it seemed crazy to hope for another miracle, but something kept telling her to keep going. Help was on the way. She didn't know how she knew, but she did.

 **Starkiller Base Flooding Tunnel Entrance**

Mara knew that stealth was of the essence, which was why she took point as they approached the entrance. The Jedi Master had withdrawn her Force presence in order to prevent any Force users on this base from detecting her. It wouldn't be enough if these Knights of Ren came close enough, but it would do in order to avoid broader searches in the Force. She was more focused on the two guards standing right by the door who was about to open it. She motioned Finn back and prepared herself. The door opened.

"Hey!" shouted one of the guards before Chewbacca blasted him with his bowcaster, launching that unfortunate trooper back against the wall. Mara was just as quick, grabbing the trooper and snapping his neck with a quick, lethal efficiency that showed off her training as the Emperor's Hand. She regretted taking his life, but in order to keep a low profile, she had to be deadly. Finn glanced at Mara warily before stepping over the fallen trooper into the corridor.

Chewbacca and Kat moved the bodies into the doorway, hiding them from anyone who might wander down this way. "That's one helluva shot," Kat commented to Chewie, who responded with a proud roar.

Han tossed his jacket aside as he glanced down the corridor to make sure no one had heard the commotion. "The longer we're here, the less luck we're gonna have."

"The detention levels are a few corridors over," Finn began.

"Shields first, Rey second," Mara corrected. A part of her wondered just who this Rey person was that a former stormtrooper would risk everyone in the galaxy for. The name sounded familiar to her.

Finn's face fell ever so slightly before determination set in. "I have an idea about the shields." He glanced about, getting his bearings. "She should be a floor above."

"Who?" Kat asked curiously, glad to be in warm enough conditions to shed the bulky coat, revealing her silver and black outfit.

"You'll see."

 _ **The New Force Awakens**_

Captain Phasma was proud of her armor. It had been fashioned from the very same Nubian starship that Emperor Palpatine himself used for transport when he was still the Supreme Chancellor. As Emperor, he preferred using the Lambda Class shuttles to put on a show, but Phasma admired the man for what he had done for the galaxy, until that damn Rebellion had come along. No matter. With the New Republic shattered and Starkiller Base preparing to fire on the puny Resistance base, her dreams were on the brink of fruition. Though her idol was dead, his plans of galactic conquest lived on. Her ruminations were rudely interrupted by a roaring Wookie that came out of nowhere, slamming her against the wall and stunning the First Order captain. When she came to, she found herself with two blasters in her face, one held by an old, rugged looking man she identified as the infamous smuggler Han Solo. The other face she knew quite well.

"Hey Phasma, remember me?" Finn asked condescendingly. This woman had made his life a hell while he served in the First Order. All in the name of training, so they had claimed. Now, it was payback time.

"FN-2187," replied Phasma coolly. Finn hated that even with the helmet still on her head, Phasma would always look at him like he was something she had just scraped off of her chrome plated boot.

"Not anymore," he shot back, "The name's Finn now and I'm in charge!" Finn got no reaction from her, so he figured he'd repeat himself until she gave him the appropriate reaction. "That's right, I'm in charge!" A touch on the shoulder stopped him as he was getting worked up.

"Bring it down," Han said gently.

"You're going to help us lower the shields," Finn said happily to Phasma.

"And what makes you think I would do such a thing?" the First Order Captain asked, disdain reeking from her voice.

"Well, Chewie here can be very convincing," Han said, motioning to the Wookie. Phasma heard the roar of Chewbacca, but given the pressure on the side of her helmet, Phasma didn't dare to turn her head.

Still, she wasn't going to give in that easily. "Not even a Wookie can break First Order armor."

Han raised an eyebrow at that. However, another voice, a female voice got Phasma's attention from behind her. "Even if Chewie couldn't break the armor, I'm pretty sure the person inside the armor wouldn't last long." Phasma blinked several times to activate the HUD in her helmet. The woman standing next to Chewbacca took her breath away. She'd known about the Inquisitors of old, but she didn't expect to see the last Inquisitor of the old Empire here!

"It can't be," she gasped, turning around to behold Mara Jade with her own eyes. "The last Inquisitor!"

"Emperor's Hand," Mara corrected automatically. "Seriously Han, what gives? First Leia, then you, now this Chrome-trooper, all recognizing me as an Inquisitor. I was the Emperor's Hand! Not some dumb Inquisitor."

Han shot a look at Mara, as if to say _Not in front of the prisoner._ "Inquisitor, Hand, it's all the same to me. Now let's get to the control room." Mara nodded, giving Han that understanding look. She was going to need some clarification later.

 _ **The New Force Awakens**_

"Why did you call Master Mara an Inquisitor?" Katerina asked Han as Mara and Finn oversaw the chrome-plated stormtrooper at the shield control panel. The fight to take over the shield control room was too easy with Mara on point. Kat had defended the smugglers from any stray blaster fire while Han and Chewbacca took out the Stormtroopers with ease. Now it was a simple matter of deactivating the shields and getting the Resistance fighters in.

"Because that's what she was before the Empire fell," the old smuggler replied quietly. "After the battle of Endor, Luke found her on Myrkr with a band of smugglers during the Thrawn invasion. She tried to kill him too."

"But she was the Emperor's Hand, not an Inquisitor," Kat pointed out.

"I'm thinking this is some more dimensional shenanigans," Han said simply. "Tell me something. How are these twins of mine from your dimension?"

"I honestly don't know them that well personally," Kat answered. "You'd have to ask Master Skywalker about that. They're war heroes though! Jacen defeated the leader of the Yuzhaan Vong and Jaina was dubbed the Sword of the Jedi by Grand Master Skywalker! You'd be so proud!" Han grunted. To him, it was just one more thing he couldn't have.

"You're making a big mistake," Phasma told Finn as she keyed in the deactivation codes. Chewbacca just roared at her.

Mara rolled her eyes as Finn pointed his blaster at his former commanding officer. "Do it!" he barked at Phasma. The chrome-trooper began to type in a few more codes.

The Jedi Master nudged Phasma with the Force, enough to fling her hands away from the controls. "Take out those alarm codes you just put it."

Needless to say, the First Order captain was surprised. "How could you have possibly known?"

"You're too loyal to this First Order to not try something, even with a blaster pointed at your head," Mara pointed out. "Just plug in the deactivation codes, or we'll see how well First Order armor stands up to a Wookie." She pointed at the bodies on the floor. "I have a hunch that it won't last long."

"We aren't going to have much time to find Rey," Finn noted, getting right back to the original reason why he came here.

"Don't worry kid," Han said reassuringly. "We aren't leaving without her."

"Search and rescue," Kat said, "for one person on a planet sized Death Star."

"Sounds like another day in the Skywalker family," Mara joked.

"You can't be so stupid as to think this will be easy," Phasma retorted as she entered the final code. With the former Inquisitor watching her every stroke, the Captain had no choice but to input the proper deactivation codes. Still, this was not how she wanted to be remembered in First Order history. "My men will storm this block and kill you all!" She smiled underneath her helmet.

Mara snorted. With only one entrance, they could hold this little command center for days. "I'd like to see them try." She glanced at Katerina, who was watching the door, Force-senses extended outwards in an effort to ensure they weren't surprised.

"What do we do with her?" Finn asked as the screen indicated the shields were powering down.

"Is there a garbage chute?" Han asked with that all-too-knowing grin on his face. "Trash compactor?"

Finn grinned. "There is." Underneath her helmet, Phasma had a look of sheer disgust and indignation on her face. So much for the glorious stories in First Order history.

 **Hyperspace**

Poe Dameran grinned as the orders came through. "Alright Black Squadron, let's do this! On my signal!"

"Copy that Black Leader," came the chorus of agreements from his squad mates. The transition from hyperspace was smooth and the X-Wings were zipping through the atmosphere towards the oscillator. Poe wondered if the legendary Rouge Squadron had ever felt this nervous when assaulting the second Death Star. It was now or never.

"Lock S-foils in attack position," Poe ordered, "Hit the target with everything you got!"

"Roger Black Leader!" Jess Testor said for everyone. Poe resolved to find the time to have a nice long conversation with that pilot when this was over, if they survived this long.

"Let's light this candle!" Poe shouted as the X-Wings began their bombing run. Several dozen proton torpedoes zipped from the undersides of the X-Wings and exploded against the black metal of the oscillator.

"Haha, direct hit!" shouted Black Five.

"It doesn't look like it did much," the old alien pilot known as the Bull noted.

"We gotta keep hitting it," Poe said, "As many bombing runs as we can get." Alarmed beeping from BB-8 got his attention. He glanced out his viewport and he felt the adrenaline of battle begin to pump through his veins. He lived for this stuff. "We got a lot of company!" TIE fighters, several full squadrons worth, were screaming towards the much smaller fleet of X-Wing fighters. Each and every pilot began the dance of death with multiple partners, where a single mistake could cost one or both of them their lives. The battle was on!

 **Next chapter guys, I promise Mara will meet Rey. After that, well, stuff's going down. It should be fun though. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Response to Guest Reviews (In order with which they reviewed)**

 **The Guest: I couldn't resist that little joke, hehe, glad you're enjoying the story and I hope to hear from you in future chapters!**

 **Guest: 1) possibly, we'll see what happens next chapter. If a Jedi doesn't want to be found in the Force, well, there are ways to stay hidden**

 **2) Possible, but not likely, as while she'd sense his resolve hardening, she wouldn't be able to tell what until it's too late, as it did seem like he could be swayed back to the light for just a second there.**

 **3) Maybe, you'll have to keep reading**

 **4) Lightsaber Duels are better on the big screen than on paper, but I'll do my best to try and capture that essence of the Star Wars lightsaber duel**

 **JF: Glad you're enjoying the story, Mara's always been a favorite of mine. Hope to hear from you in future chapters!**

 **Guest: 1) Han made that comment because he's a bitter old man who's seen his son become a terror to the galaxy. Then this woman shows up and claims he had twins. It's Han Solo. Of course he's going to be skeptical.**

 **2) It's hard to ask about a dimensional counterpart while sneaking around a planet-buster base, but hey, I gave it a shot.**

 **CG: 1) I honestly don't know. I'm making a lot of assumptions while writing this story. Whether or not Han & Leia knew about Rey from the beginning is entirely up for debate. How Rey learned the Wookie language is also confusing. Maybe Luke told them that his daughter was dead to keep her safe after he hid her (assuming Rey is a Skywalker of course). Episode 7 certainly complicated a lot of things in the Star War Universe. **

**2) There is so much possible material to go off of for movies. The Old Republic has so many great scripts right there in book form. With the impending success of Rouge One, I'm sure they'll sign off on a lot more independent Star Wars movies in the future (with Ewan McGregor talking about a possible Kenobi spin-off film, I'd think independent movies are going to become even more popular). It's great that one sci-fi story has brought us all together.**

 **Guest: Glad you approve, although I'd say this is more dimensional travel than time travel. Semantics, I know. But rest assured, I will not abandon this story. I will try to finish the next chapter in less time than I did for this chapter, but life goes on. I got bills to pay, a mouth to feed, and work to do. I'll do what I can in my free time though.**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review, as I welcome any and all constructive criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve. Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**

 **PS: Follow me on Twitter Nuttybuddy792 for content involving sports, Star Wars, animes, and other popular stuff. Is this shameless advertising? Meh, whatever. You're not obligated to follow me, but it's greatly appreciated.**


	10. Family Reunion?

**Guess who's baaaack?! That's right, the Nutty Buddy has finished another chapter. This one has a semi-big reveal, and I realize that with recent comic releases, what I viewed as possible canon is now becoming very different from the actual canon. Yes, I am aware of Thrawn being in Rebels season 3. Yes, I'm aware that up to five years prior to the events of The Force Awakens, Luke was traveling with Ben to try and find the Jedi Temple. That being said, I will attempt to stay as close to continuity as possible, though if I need to take certain artistic liberties, I shall. This is what fanfiction is for. Anyways, time for the disclaimer and then the chapter you've been waiting for.**

 **Mara: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars and all its affiliates are all owned by Disney, Lucasfilm, and George Lucas. Please support the official release!**

 **Chapter 10: Family Reunion?**

Finn peered around the corner before relaxing. No guards were in sight in the entrance to the detention center. They probably got called away for the attack on the oscillator. That would make things a little easier. _'We're coming Rey,'_ he thought before trying to figure out how to breach that detention block. The Empire had learned its lesson from the first wild Death Star escape, beefing up the security in detention blocks to prevent a second escape like that from ever happening again. The First Order had carried that tradition over from the Imperial background it hailed from, and Finn knew that there were going to be at least a dozen guards in that detention block, if not more. He gulped nervously before glancing back at the group. "So we'll use the charges to blast open the doors. We'll have the Jedi take point and draw the fire. Han and Chewie will lay down cover fire while I go look for Rey."

Mara nodded in approval of the plan, though it needed a slight tweak. "Kat should go with you Finn, to help protect you and to locate the right cell block, otherwise it might take hours to find her." She sensed Finn's nerves swelling once again as he thought about ducking and dodging more blaster fire. "You sure you're up for this?"

"Hell no," Finn answered quickly, "Once the troopers know you're down here, they're going to swarm the place."

"Sure wish we had Artoo with us right now," Mara mused as she focused her attention towards the detention block.

"Yeah, well, we don't," Han grumbled, "he's in that depressed lockdown mode of his, has been for the past ten years ever since Luke vanished." He glanced backwards to make sure no troopers surprised them from behind and a bit of movement out the viewport caught his attention.

"There's an access tunnel that'll lead to the outside," Finn continued, trying to finish out this desperate plan. It wouldn't help them if they got trapped in the detention block. "We can head out that way and get back to the Falcon."

Mara kept her Force senses attuned in the detention area, though something was nagging at her, as if the Force were telling her to look beyond Finn's shoulder. Doing just that, she saw Han turn around with that lopsided grin on his face. Wondering just what it was that would have him change moods so suddenly, she looked past him, extending her senses in that direction. She couldn't help but gasp as she felt the presence in the Force. "Ben…" she said quietly, knowing that she would upset Captain Solo if he had heard, but the figure she saw climbing the wall couldn't have been her son. For starters, it was clearly a human female. She didn't have the red hair that she would've expected either, but Mara had been for certain that she had sensed her son for a second. Mara glanced at Finn. "What did you say her name was again?"

Finn was confused, not noticing what Mara was looking at. "Rey, why?"

"Are we doing this or not Master?" Kat asked, standing by the detention doors, lightsaber not ignited but in her hand. Mara ignored her. She was trying to remember where she had first heard that name, and not in this dimension. Concentrating, she let the Force guide her memories, until it finally clicked. It had been nearly fourteen years prior, when she was showing the first signs of morning sickness thanks to the conception of Ben. Mara remembered their discussion about names.

 _"You won't take no for an answer, will you?" she asked her husband as they lay on the couch together in their room in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant._

 _Her farmboy had smiled at her. "You've got that right. If our child is a boy, I want to name him Ben."_

 _"Obi-Wan meant that much to you, huh?" Mara asked, getting a nod from her husband before continuing in a teasing tone. "And what if she turns out to be of the fairer sex? I don't think she'd be a big a fan of Padme."_

 _Luke sighed deeply. Ever since they had discovered that holo in Artoo of his father and mother getting married on Naboo, he had spent less time than he would have liked to learn more about his mother. This damn Yuuzhaan Vong war prevented him from sifting through the Imperial records that the Empire had tried to erase, most likely to keep Vader from thinking about his wife while he served the Emperor. "I was thinking something more along the lines of light. Like Reyna. She could be our little Rey of light in these dark times."_

 _Mara smiled as she leaned up against Luke, hand on her belly, which showed the slightest bulge of pregnancy. "Reyna, eh? I kinda like that name. Sappy, but it fits."_

 _Luke chuckled. "Then it's decided. I don't know why it took Han and Leia so long to pick Jacen and Jaina's names, even when they knew they were having twins."_

 _"Maybe it's because they're both stubborn," Mara said. "I'm hungry."_

 _"What'll it be this time?" Luke asked, a light playful tone, "Hopefully not that spiceloaf chocolate fruit combination you had last night."_

 _"I can't help it if your child is giving me weird cravings," Mara had protested with a laugh._

"Reyna," Mara whispered. The Force had given her the answer. She felt the woman's Force presence, and while she was not trained, not much at least, Mara could practically taste Rey's power within the Force.

"Looks like we won't be needing those explosives after all," Han said, jabbing a thumb at the window. Finn followed his thumb and saw Rey climbing up the wall, making her way towards the hanger. He knew just where they could cut her off. The grin that split the former stormtrooper's face was from ear to ear. One because he had found Rey, and two, perhaps the more important of the two reasons, was that he didn't have to go charging into the detention block, even if the plan involved a Jedi protecting him.

 _ **The New Force Awakens**_

To say that Rey was stressed was putting it mildly. All of her senses were on alert, trying to ensure that no stormtrooper patrol caught her by surprise. She felt a prickle on the back of her neck and she ducked into a dark alcove as another door opened, allowing a quartet of troopers to pass without seeing her. The Jakku scavenger didn't know how these prickles were warning her. It was probably the same power that had allowed her into Kylo Ren's mind. The Force was guiding her, though how she did not know. Regardless, she had to keep moving. As soon as the troopers were out of sight, Rey was on the move again. Perhaps it was the Force once again, but she was very lucky she didn't have her finger on the trigger when the familiar face of Han Solo appeared around the corner. She raised the stormtrooper blaster and lowered it just as quickly, narrowly avoiding accidentally shooting the legendary smuggler. The roar of Chewbacca assured her that it was not a stress-induced hallucination.

"Are you alright?" Han asked as he gently pushed Rey's blaster away from his body.

Rey took a couple of deep breaths, trying to relax a little, as much as she could relax on this crazy base. "Yeah."

"Good," came the simple response before Han took up a sentry post by the corridor she had just left in order to allow an emotional reunion.

Finn was the next one to register in Rey's vision as he came up to her, grabbing her by the shoulders gently, looking her over for injuries. "What happened to you? Did he hurt you?"

"Finn, what are you doing here?" Rey finally managed to get that burning question out.

"We came back for you!" Finn explained.

"He wasn't going to let us leave without you," Kat remarked from the Wookie's side, to which the Wookie roared an agreement.

Rey peered curiously at this newcomer in silver and black. Perhaps a member of the Resistance? "Who are you?" Then an older woman with flaming red hair stepped forward, apparently covering the rear and Rey suddenly had a pounding headache. Her face contorted in pain. "Ow!"

"Rey!" Finn exclaimed, concern on his features. "What's wrong?"

"Master?" Katerina asked slowly, watching this odd turn of events.

"Rey," Mara said carefully, projecting a soothing aura in the Force. She felt the pain of this young woman and she felt the echoes of her husband within that. Obviously the Luke in this dimension had done something to this woman, and Mara extended her reach out to remove that pain. She felt a lump on Rey's Force presence, as if it were a barrier of some sort. While it was too strong for her to remove, even with the familiarity of her husband's Force presence, Mara was able to remove the pain it was causing her. Apparently seeing Mara had triggered something within Rey. "It's alright."

Rey stepped back, looking at Mara with a healthy fear on her face. "Who are you?!" Those green eyes seemed so familiar to her. It was there, at the edge of her memory, but she couldn't figure out why it felt so familiar.

Mara took a deep breath. There was no point in overwhelming this young woman, who looked painfully malnourished and stressed out. Given the circumstances, it would be best to keep the rescued as calm as possible after their recent capture, and while Mara had no doubt that Rey was capable, there was only so much one could take. The Jedi Master decided to give as much as she could, while simultaneously giving as little as possible. "My name is Mara Jade Skywalker."

Confusion replaced fear on Rey's face. "Skywalker? Then you're related to-"

"Luke Skywalker, yes," Mara finished. "It's a long story, one we don't have time to explain. We need to get off this Force-forsaken rock."

"The coast is clear," Han told everyone, "let's get out of here!"

"I promise I will tell you everything when we're safe," Mara told Rey, whose face held so many questions.

"I'll hold you to that," Rey said simply, looking at Finn, who shrugged. He had no clue where to begin. The group darted across the hall, back to where they had first entered.

Katerina sighed as Chewie handed her the fur jacket she had worn earlier. "Back into the cold." Chewbacca chuffed a few times humorously as he picked up Han's coat and passed it along to him, prompting Kat to continue, "Yeah yeah, you have your own fur coat, I get it." The Wookie rumbled another laugh, enjoying teasing his new friend.

 **Starkiller Base Exterior Skies**

"You got one on your tail! Watch out!"

"I can't shake him!"

"I'm coming in for an attack run!"

"I'm hit!" Another X-Wing came apart. While Black Squadron was individually more than a match for the TIE fighters, there were just so many of them. That, coupled with the ground fire meant that Black Squadron was slowly taking casualties.

"There's too many of them!"

Poe's voice came over the comms, even as he wiped out another small squad of TIEs. "As long as there's light, we still got a chance!" The crazy actions of their leader was an inspiration to the pilots of Black Squadron, but even with their inspired efforts, it was only a matter of time before the sheer numbers overwhelmed them.

 **Starkiller Base Exterior Ground**

They emerged from the base and were halfway across the wide snowfield on their way back to the woods when Mara stopped, which effectively stopped the group from advancing. About twenty yards ahead, a TIE fighter came crashing to the ground, having been shot down in the dogfight raging above them. Mara looked at the fight raging above the oscillator, a couple hundred yards away from their position. It looked grim.

Han voiced her thoughts aloud. "They're in trouble." He was having the same thoughts and he glanced at the bag of explosives Finn had carried with him the entire time. "It'd be a shame not to use those explosives we brought."

"How're we going to get in?" Mara asked, eyeing the oscillator in the distance. "No doubt they got the place looked up tight."

"You worked here kid," Han said, though there was a dismissive tone to it. "Even a sanitation worker ought to know how to get in."

Finn thought back to his long days of training, preparing for any kind of scenario. There had even been a recreation of the escape on the first Death Star, one where the escapees were rounded up rather quickly. It helped that they knew where they were going, but even so, Finn knew that the First Order wasn't going to let anything crazy like that happen again. And yet, here they were planning to break into the oscillator, a scenario they had once planned against a few years prior. He recalled a general plan they had come up with in the planning session of such an invasion, but they had discarded it as too high risk. "Well, the main entrance is where we can get the best results with the explosives, since it leads right into the heart of the oscillator, but that's sealed up as soon as the first signs of X-Wings appeared."

"I'd rather not use the explosives just blowing a door open," Han said, "You have a back door in?"

"Sort of," Finn admitted, "There's a power regulator that if removed will trigger the emergency release of the blast doors, which won't set off any alarms like if you tried to cut through with a lightsaber or blow the doors open."

"I'll be able to find it no problem," Rey offered, nodding at Finn, "So long as Finn points me to the right cluster."

"So where is it?" Mara felt her pouch, where she had a special explosive concocted by Aves. She had hoped she would never need to use it, but if ever a time called for it, this was probably it.

"Around the far side," Finn admitted. "The door will remain open for about ten minutes, so we don't have much time."

"That'll be plenty of time," Mara said reassuringly. "We'll split up. Han, Chewie and I will take the explosives and place them on the inside. Kat, you go with Rey and Finn to the power regulator." Katerina nodded an affirmative while Mara directed her gaze at Finn. "How long of a walk will it be Finn?"

"Over an hour," Finn admitted. The oscillator was bigger than it appeared from this distance. "But there's a speeder station not too far from the main entrance. We can swipe a speeder and be there within ten minutes." He glanced up at the darkening skies. "And it doesn't look like we have that much time." Everyone looked skywards, seeing the energy streaming from the sun towards the horizon. It was a grim reminder that the very ground they stood on held the power to wipe out so many lives.

"Well," Han said solemnly. "No point in standing around. We got our jobs to do, let's do them."

"Take care of them Kat," Mara told her former apprentice. "This is the easier job, but that doesn't make it any less crucial. Remember your training and trust your instincts."

"Yes Master," Kat said with a nod, fighting back a shiver under that bulky coat. "May the Force be with y-you."

Mara smiled at her shivering young Jedi. "And remind me to teach you that heat retention technique when we get back to base."

"W-will do Master," Kat said before motioning for Finn to lead the way. "Let's go." The three younger members of the group jogged off.

Mara turned to see Han and Chewbacca jogging towards the entrance to the oscillator. Chewbacca turned and roared at Mara, who couldn't help but smile as she shook her head. "Yeah yeah Chewie, I'm coming."

 **Ileenium System, Planet D'Qar, Resistance Base**

"General, we've just lost two more X-Wings," Lieutenant Connix reported from her station.

"That's half our fleet destroyed," Admiral Ackbar noted.

"And worse still, our scans show that their weapon will be fully charged in fifteen minutes!" Threepio announced, red arm waving at the display for emphasis. "I don't know how we're going to get out of this one. It'd take a miracle." Leia just stared at her own monitor. She had been in this scenario once before, over thirty-three years ago, and it had indeed been a miracle that had destroyed the first Death Star. She just hoped that they'd be able to pull off a second miracle. The Force had to be with Mara and Han.

Dannard listened to the readouts from the technicians and watched the battle being played out in front of him. It was grim, and he had to force down anger at his feeling of helplessness. He was a warrior at heart, and it drove him nuts not being in on the action, even though the throbbing in his shoulder reminded him why he stayed behind. "Come on Master, don't let us down. I'm counting on you, you and Kat." He thought about his best friend, how far they'd come, and what trials they were going to have to face in this new dimension. At the very least, he wanted to spend them together. "May the Force be with you Kat."

 **Starkiller Base**

Mara sensed about five guards near the entrance. She relayed the info to the two smugglers behind her and began to concentrate. This would reduce the risk to her party, as while she could defend herself from nearly anything, you never knew when a stray blaster bolt could ricochet at an awkward angle. It would be a sad tale to go join the Force in an accident. The door whizzed open and Mara stopped thinking about odd ways to die and unleashed the Force wave she'd been gathering, knocking all five Stormtroopers off their feet. After that, it was easy pickings for Han and Chewbacca as they shot each trooper. The last one had gotten to his feet and fired in their direction before Chewie's bowcaster launched the unfortunate trooper off his feet, the power of the bolt slamming him into the back wall. Mara deflected that desperate shot harmlessly into the wall. She extinguished her blade and took stock of the little room they were in. It was a simple room, one meant to keep the chilling cold out.

"You've made some serious upgrades to that thing," Mara commented to Chewbacca as the Wookiee came out from his cover. Chewbacca groaned an explanation.

"Highly charged Tibanna gas?" Mara asked, raising an eyebrow. "That can't be legal."

"The New Republic's had other things to worry about than ammo used by smugglers," Han pointed out. "They cared more about bringing old Separatist planets back into the fold."

Mara shook her head. "Out of all the tasks the New Republic had to focus on, regaining Outer Rim territories does not seem like it should be that high a priority."

Han simply shrugged. "I'm not a politician, the hell do I know?"

 **Starkiller Base Exterior, Speeder Station**

"Four guards," Finn noted as he peered around the rocky outcropping. "It'll be hard to take a speeder without being spotted."

Katerina closed her eyes, reaching out with the Force. "There's two more right b-by the entrance."

"You really don't like the cold, do you?" Finn asked, past the point of questioning the powers of a Jedi. He just accepted the fact that there were six guards to possible have to contend with. He glanced back at Rey, who was wearing the jacket that had been given to him by Poe. She didn't seem to be enjoying the cold, but at the same time, her fascination with this relatively new sensation as well as the snow she was seeing for the first time seemed to take away from the fact that she was cold. "You holding up Rey?"

The Jakku scavenger glanced up at Finn, looking away from the palmful of snow that was slowly melting in her hand. She'd heard tales about this substance from the occasional offworld traveler, as few of those that did visit Jakku. "Yeah, fine." Her resolve hardened. "I can hotwire the speeder easily enough, I just need some time."

"Alright, then I'll distract the troopers," Kat said simply, glancing between the two. "Rey, you and Finn will grab the speeder. As soon as you're ready to go, signal me and I'll hop on."

"What signal?" Finn asked.

"You'll know," Kat said with a smirk. She shed her bulky coat, rubbing her bare arms to rid them of the goosebumps that had popped up almost immediately. "It'll only be a moment." She shed the bulky fur coat and began to stride towards the stormtroopers.

"What is she doing?" Rey asked incredulously. She watched the young Jedi approach the troopers, who were too busy chatting to notice her slip out of cover. Kat adjusted the lightsaber on her belt so that it was on the back of her belt, out of sight of the troopers.

"I know we're pressed for time, but she can't seriously think that suicide will help us," Finn said, equally skeptical. They watched as Katerina got within fifteen yards of the troopers before one of them noticed her and pointed. All four of them raised their blasters, but to Finn's amazement, Kat waved her hand dismissively as she approached the stormtroopers.

"Put those down, I'm here for a speeder," she said with an air of command. Mara had told her the story of how she had barely managed to survive Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign by putting on the air of one who belonged there when the Imperials had gotten the jump on her. Granted, she couldn't exactly claim she was the Emperor's Hand, but Kat was trying to emulate what Mara had told her during training now. "I'm here on the general's orders." The fact that she hadn't been shot yet was a good sign.

The trooper, needless to say, was skeptical. "Let me see your identification."

The young Jedi rolled her eyes, reinforcing the idea that she belonged there in both the physical realm and the gentle Force nudge she was giving the lead trooper. Splitting her attention between the physical acting and the Force nudging, she wasn't able to nudge the other troopers minds like she would have preferred, but Kat decided to gamble on the fact that the trooper with the command insignia on his right shoulder was the only one she had to convince. "We've been over this," she said with a huff, waving her hand in his face. "You don't need to see my identification."

The trooper hesitated, his next sentence coming out rather stiffly. "I don't need to see your identification."

The young Jedi didn't let up. She waved her hand again, trying to make it appear casual. "You'll let me take the speeder to the general."

"I'll let you take the speeder to the general," the trooper commander echoed, lowering his blaster. He motioned to the other three troopers to lower their weapons as well.

One of the troopers started the motion, but then he brought it back up as the realization hit him. "She's using a Jedi mind trick! Blast her!" He fired at Kat, who dove to the side, narrowing avoiding the shot.

"Stang," she cursed simply as she felt her mental grip over the leader slip away. So close, and yet so far. She cast a mental glance back in the split second she had before the rest of the troopers began to fire on her. Rey and Finn were at the speeder they needed, she could sense Rey's intense concentration as the scavenger focused on overriding the speeder controls as well as Finn's fear as they brought their weapons to bear on her. She reached for her lightsaber with her left hand and her right hand dipped into a small pouch on her right hip. The young Jedi leaped into the air, high over the first few shots, and spun. In one smooth motion, she ignited her lightsaber, the purple blade deflecting the next shot that threatened to hit her body, and flung her secret weapon with her right hand. With a flash of silver, one of the troopers went down, clutching at his throat. Blood dripped from his hands onto his armor as the trooper went down.

"Don't let her get away!" another trooper shouted as he grabbed the stun baton off his belt, activating it and charging at Katerina as she landed on the ground, lightsaber in a guard position. Kat blocked the first two swings from the trooper, who had unwittingly placed himself in the path of his comrades. The third swing of the stun baton was sidestepped as Kat brought her purple blade down, severing the trooper's arms at the elbow. Ignoring the scream of the disarmed trooper, she spun and blocked the next two shots. There was a brief pause in the action as the speeder revved up. Obviously Rey had finished hotwiring the speeder. The commanding stormtrooper realized just how much trouble he was in now.

"Stop them!" came the shout of yet another stormtrooper, this one coming from the entrance. The two that had been inside had heard the commotion and came out guns blazing. Kat deflected several more shots, backing up as fast as she could in the snow.

"Come on!" Finn shouted as he fired his own blaster back at the troopers, forcing them to dive for cover. With that reprieve Kat leaped onto the back of the speeder, landing next to Finn, extinguishing her blade to avoid any accidental cuts. The former stormtrooper turned to shouted at Rey. "Go! Go!" With a loud roar of the repulsorlifts and a confident Rey at the controls, the speeder shot off like it had been launched from a magnetic accelerator.

"That could've gone better," Kat grumbled as she used the Force to keep her attached to the speeder. It was only built for two, and with Rey and Finn taking the two designed seats, she was resorting to perching herself awkwardly on the back left side of Finn's seat.

"What did you hit that trooper with?" Finn asked her, shouting over the rushing wind.

"One of these," Kat answered simply, pulling out a silver throwing star out of her pouch and holding it up for Finn to see. "These things help me and Dan survive the Vong war on Coruscant. It's why Kolir called me the Silver Star when we were training together." A blaster shot crashed into a tree nearby, stalling any further conversation.

"Can we outrun them?" Rey called back to Finn, not daring to look back as she sped through the trees.

"No time!" Finn shouted, seeing three speeders hot on their tail. He began to fire back at them, though the armor on the front of the speeders proved more than a match for the light weaponry. "We gotta open the door for Han and the others! Head around the oscillator"

"We'll hold them off, you focus on driving," Kat commanded, swiveling around in her seat and igniting her lightsaber. "Finn, aim at the drivers. That'll stop them." With that word of advice, the Knight focused on deflecting the incoming speeder fire away from their vulnerable engines. She trusted Finn to make the needed shots.

To his credit, Finn was starting to get used to these sorts of scenarios. First it was the hijacking of the TIE Fighter when he was helping Poe escape, then it was the crazy ride in the _Millennium Falcon_ back on Jakku followed by the wild battle of Takodana, he was becoming an old hand at shooting on the run. It was still an adjustment, getting used to the ebbs and flows of the speeder. While he knew how to drive such a speeder thanks to his First Order training, he hadn't yet received training on the gunner position. Several of his initial shots were wide of the mark, especially as Rey made several jukes and turns to evade the incoming fire. He flinched as some of the return fire came a little close to him, but any bolt that had a chance of hitting him was deflected by the purple blade of Katerina. Realizing he had what amounted to a blast shield protecting him, Finn relaxed ever so slightly, taking a deep breath before squeezing the trigger. The line of blaster fire caught the driver of the lead speeder in the helmet, killing him and causing that speeder to crash in the ground.

"Nice shot!" Kat shouted as she watched the other two speeders avoid the crash and come at them with a renewed intensity. "Keep it up!" The incoming fire was so intense that she had to wrap her left arm around the back of Finn's seat in order to keep herself stable as Kat opened herself up to the Force more, using it less in keeping herself on the speeder and more on deflecting the incoming shots. Finn kept up the fire, even as the speeders weaved in and out of each other, throwing off Finn's aim just enough. He glanced up at the sky, seeing how dark it was getting, and knew they had to end this quickly. The former stormtrooper stopped firing for a few seconds, trying to get the timing of the pattern down. He knew it well enough, having been trained in such a pattern, and it took careful timing to take down. Without Finn's cover fire, the enemy troopers were intensifying their own shots.

"Anytime now Finn!" Kat called, strain in her voice. A few blaster bolts pinged off the side armor of the speeder as if to emphasize her point. Finn was mentally counting down the timing, aiming carefully with the blaster. One pass, two pass, and then it was time. Finn let loose with the blaster, catching the second speeder's driver in the chest. That speeder spun out of control and the tail end caught the third speeder, sending it spinning into a tree. With twin explosions, they were free of pursuers. Finn's stomach lurched as Rey guided the speeder through a close grove of trees.

"We're clear!" he shouted triumphantly, which prompted Rey to slow down to a much less hectic pace. "Nice driving!"

"Nice shooting!" she shot back. She glanced up at Kat, who had extinguished her lightsaber as soon as the last speeder chasing them crashed. "Thanks for keeping us safe."

Katerina shrugged, though it looked more like a shiver to the casual observer as the cold wind bit at her now exposed shoulders. "Just doing my job. Now let's get Master Mara and Captain Solo inside!"

Finn nodded as he turned back around. Their mission wasn't done yet just because they'd survived one misadventure. "We aren't far now. Head that way!"

 **Starkiller Base Maintenance Tunnel**

After the hair-raising speeder chase, it seemed almost too easy as the door slid open at their destination. Katerina took up a guard position at the entrance while Finn and Rey practically dove into the cluster of wires and regulators in front of them. Finn looked at all the parts in front of him, painfully lost amidst all the technology. Rey however, knew exactly what she was looking for and it took a few seconds of scanning before she saw it and yanked it out with a few tugs.

 **Starkiller Base Entrance**

Han grinned when the blast doors slid open with a quiet hiss. No alarms, no ceremony, just a smooth opening. "That girl sure knows her stuff," he commented as he grabbed his sack of explosives. While they had been waiting for the younger members of their group to release the doors, they had divided the explosives amongst themselves and were ready to split up in order to spread their explosives as widely as possible. Chewbacca grunted an agreement as they entered the heart of the oscillator.

Mara paused as she felt a tremor in the Force. This one was a warning. Something dark and powerful was coming this way, and he had some training in the Force. It wasn't on the scale of Vader, but it was more than enough to be a threat. "Aye, and we better hurry. The less time we spend here, the better." The narrow corridor they were running down opened up into a huge cavern. Power regulators supersized for such a superweapon ran up every wall, catwalks allowing access to each part of the oscillator for maintenance.

Han nodded. "Chewie can take the top, I'll head down below." He handed his old friend a small device. "There's the detonator. We'll meet up back here once all the charges are set." Chewbacca rumbled a Wookiee good luck phrase and set off.

"Be careful Han," Mara warned, "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"It's me," Han retorted with that famous Solo grin of his.

 **Things are going to get very interesting next chapter. Mara has met one new member of the Skywalker family (in my opinion. You are welcome to disagree, but I am a firm supporter of the Rey Skywalker theory), she'll get to meet the other one next chapter, and oooo boy you do NOT want to miss it! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Response to Guest Reviews (in order with which they reviewed)**

 **Denz-El (1): It's a pity you don't write out these awesome ideas of yours. Sending the cast from the Disneyverse into the EU is another fascinating possibility that could be explored very well if done by the right author. Your idea for Mara in this new canon is also a fun idea to think about, though I will leave that up to another author to write.**

 **Denz-El (2): I was wondering if anyone was going to pick up on the Back to the Future reference, lol. I love your fancasting ideas as well. It isn't often someone comes to me with a fancast for my OC's, but your picks are damn near perfect.**

 **Denz-El (3): Yeah, I got meta with Connix, hehe, and yes, I found out about the actual name of the system after I'd posted several chapters about the Resistance Base. I was going off of what I heard in the theater, so yeah. Perhaps my ear isn't as good as the others.**

 **Denz-El (4): I couldn't resist that little homage to the prequels. People give them crap, unnecessarily at times too, but I enjoyed the prequels. I didn't let the nostalgia goggles fog my vision. Threepio was built by Anakin, whether people want to accept that or not. As talented as a 9-year-old was, I want to believe he had some fun with the programming as well. As for Mara's age, well, I'm just going off her being the relatively same age as Luke, so that would put her around 28 when she first appeared in Heir to the Empire and around her early-to-mid-fifties by the events of Betrayal in the Legacy of the Force series, which is when I decided to pluck her out of the EU and place her in TFA. Hope that helps. I know she wouldn't exactly be young anymore, but she's still able to kick some ass, being a Jedi Master and all that.**

 **Denz-El (9): I didn't really see enough from Phasma in the film to really get a feel for her character. I don't know what to make of her. She didn't live up to the hype that they made for the Chrome-trooper, lol. Perhaps that'll change in 8, but for now, I'm just going to stick with the movie/book version that I know about. I'm glad you decided to follow my story, and I'm glad you're enjoying it. God bless my friend, and I hope to hear from you in future chapters!**

 **Guest: Well, the Force is very complicated, especially when in regards to light vs dark side. You will see my interpretation of how these events will play out next chapter. It's complicated, but I hope to capture that feel of Star Wars we all know and love.**

 **CG: Aye, the Jedi Order has been around for quite a long time. And then Bane comes around and sows the seeds that nearly wipes it out with the Clone Wars conducted by Palpatine. So I hope that in the end, the Jedi Order can be rebuilt, as the galaxy is just a better place with more Jedi running around. I'd hate to see all the work that Yoda and Obi-Wan did ultimately go to waste.**

 **CG: A pity, really. Though I'm seeing several efforts to recanonize Old Republic material in the Clone Wars (Bane) and Rebels (Malachor, with a possible Revan mention coming in Season 3), there's a lot of good work being thrown by the wayside. And man, I really hope those leaked details were fakes. Reincarnation is not the way they need to go. Sigh…well, there's always fanfiction I guess. And speaking of Season 3, well, your next review, I can't wait to see what Rebels does. Should be fun. Until the next chapter my friend!**

 **Guest: Aye, though some might argue that's just Sith armor in general. Vader's armor was designed for intimidation, which is probably why most Sith armor designed afterwards similarly. I see where you're coming from though.**

 **Guest: I will never abandon a story. Never! Too many authors do that. I don't want to be among their number. I want to finish what I start. So long as I have the support of youse guys, I'll keep on writing, though school, work, and life in general.**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review, as I welcome any and all constructive criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve. Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **Follow me on Twitter, at nuttybuddy792, for more content and interactions.**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


	11. A Family Divided

**Alrighty, here's the chapter you all have been waiting for so patiently. It's a long one, but I hope y'all won't complain. I guarantee, it's going to be a doozy of a chapter, and a pretty big divergence from the movie. So here's the disclaimer and here's the chapter!**

 **Kylo Ren:** **The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars and all its affiliates are all owned by Disney, Lucasfilm, and George Lucas. Please support the official release and join the First Order! We will wipe out that Resistance!**

 **Chapter 11: A Family Divided**

The job was simple. Monotonous, even, if planting explosives every few columns could ever be deemed monotonous. Place an explosive here, just out of sight so a cursory search by the occasional stormtrooper wouldn't spoil their entire mission. The fact that there were no stormtroopers in the facility as of yet was encouraging to Mara, but she knew better than to relax in the middle of perhaps one of the most important missions in her life. Not with that powerful presence in the Force slowly but surely marching towards their location. It had the taint of darkness upon it but at the same time, it felt like it was a user of the light side. The Jedi Master was perplexed by this feeling, but she had to withdraw her presence, as this Force-user had felt her touch and was attempting to figure out her location. Mara drew her own Force presence in, relying on her natural senses to watch out for any threats. She placed another bomb under a column and moved on, her task not yet finished. The Jedi Master glanced upwards, scouting for the perfect spot to place her secret weapon.

"I'll never forget your words Aves," she said to herself, " _Never use this unless you know you're screwed, cause you're probably going to take out yourself and half a city. Baradium is powerful enough in a warhead. Now imagine the capability of half a baradium warhead and that's what you have in your hands there."_ Mara placed a hand on the grenade in her pouch, knowing the raw power it contained. She had a few more explosives to place before she ought to find the appropriate spot to place the baradium grenade, but the Jedi Master had a feeling she knew where to place it. She sensed Han and Chewbacca moving along at a steady, though still swift pace and continued along, keeping up with the two elderly smugglers. Things were about to get crazy though, she could sense that much.

 **Starkiller Base Oscillator Entrance**

Kylo Ren wasn't sure what it was he had felt, but he knew that whoever this Force sensitive person was, he was going to have to be on his best to defeat both her and his father, who he knew was down there in the oscillator. Whatever he was planning to do to that oscillator could not be good for Starkiller Base. He knew that the base was at his most vulnerable as it was charging for an attack, so whatever it was that his father was planning, he had to delay it long enough for the base to fire at the Illeenium system wiping it out and the core of the Resistance. He gripped his lightsaber tightly, knowing that the Supreme Leader expected him to take the final steps towards the darkness. Killing someone dear to you was a crucial step into the dark side, as it meant you were capable of turning your back on anyone, attaining a ruthlessness necessary to become a true master of the dark side. He thought he was ready for it, and yet there was a bit of doubt in there. Why this doubt persisted in pestering him, Kylo Ren did not know, but he could only hope that this doubt would vanish when he killed his father.

"Sir, what are your orders?" the squad leader asked the Knight of Ren as he approached. He knew that this was a special mission when Kylo Ren had called for him to meet him in the oscillator. Now it was time to find out just what it was that he was being called upon for.

Kylo tilted his head towards the trooper. Lieutenant Jori Lekauf, the grandson of a man who had served under his own grandfather. A loyal trooper, unlike that damn traitor FN-2187. Since the Fett clones had been decommissioned during the Empire's rein, attempts to recreate the perfect clone soldier had been fruitless. Still, if ever there were a template to use to recreate a clone army that enabled the rise of the Empire. Lekauf would definitely be among those Ren would recommend. "We have some pests to take care of Lieutenant. However, if you and your men find these rebels, comm me immediately. I'm certain that you wouldn't want to face a desperate Wookiee."

"I can't say I have much experience with Wookiees sir," Lekauf responded calmly, "but I'm sure we can handle them."

"You're a good man Lieutenant," Kylo Ren said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'd rather not waste you hunting down these rats." He couldn't see the man's reaction under his helmet, but Ren sensed a smile from the Lieutenant.

"We may be hunting rats, but you're proving that you're your grandfather's son," Lekauf answered, "You don't ask your troops to do anything you won't do yourself. So let's make both our grandfather's proud." Kylo Ren nodded and led his squad of a dozen troops into the core of the oscillator. There was a moment's pause as the Knight of Ren cast his senses out, trying to pinpoint the location of his father. For whatever reason, the Force seemed muddied to him. The disturbance of this very base and the darkness it held, because he didn't have full access to the dark side he couldn't sense the entire room. It seemed that he would have to do this the hard way. Luke's teachings about the dark side were false. The path of the dark side wasn't any easier than the light.

"Find them," Ren said simply, motioning for the squad to split up and begin their task. "And do not engage unless you absolutely have to." He felt a flutter in the Force and glanced upwards. The room was too dark for him to see the ceiling, but he could've sworn he'd seen something move up there. Perhaps it was just another one of the native shreikbats that had infested the facility time and time again. Then again, why take the chance? He began to stride towards the catwalk, intent on crossing towards the turbolifts that would take him to the upper levels.

 **Starkiller Base Oscillator Exterior**

Rey took the speeder up to the edge of the oscillator's south entrance, where Finn had explained that they could back up the older members of their group at a higher level. Finn was explaining to Katerina about what they could expect to find once they had climbed that built in ladder up to yet another maintenance hatch, but Rey was awestruck by the view. Now that she had a moment to pause, she could see the energy of the rapidly dimming sun streaming into some point beyond the horizon, and the Jakku scavenger didn't need the Force to tell her that this was very very bad. After watching the oddly mesmerizing sight a moment longer, she spun and ran after Finn and Katerina, beginning the climb up the ladder.

 _ **The New Force Awakens**_

Mara watched the stormtroopers fan out in the standard Imperial search pattern. She could evade that pattern in her sleep, even after all these years. With the need to keep a low profile an absolute necessity at times, anti-Imperial tactical training had been drilled into her by Palpatine just in case she needed to counteract some traitorous Imperial commander or governor. How ironic that such training was going to aid her now. The Jedi Master let go of her Force-attachment that had been keeping her attached to the ceiling. Not long ago she had leaped up there and attached her baradium grenade to one of the stalactites up there. She had the faint sense of this Force-user entering while she was focused on her task, but with her Force presence drawn inwards, she was not going to be found easily. This Force-user wasn't bothering to hide his own Force presence. In fact, he was expanding it outwards to try and find her, Han, and Chewbacca. And speaking of Chewbacca, Mara dropped to the end of the catwalk that the Wookiee was prowling along, as silent as the shadows she took advantage of. Getting the Wookiee's attention as he finished placing his bombs, she signaled the need to escape to Chewbacca, who signaled back that she needed to get to Han. Nodding, Mara made her way to the lower levels, melting into the shadows whenever she sensed a trooper in the immediate vicinity. About halfway down to Han, she saw a dark figure in a mask heading out on one of the numerous catwalks across the chasm. Given her past experience with such ominous figures, Mara resolved to stay away from him until she could confront this dark-sider at a better opportunity, or at least she would have had a single word not rang out, echoing across the oscillator.

"BEN!" Han's voice wasn't angry, or sad. It was the tone of one who simply wanted to get another's attention, but was ready for confrontation as well. Mara looked down to see Han at the edge of the catwalk.

"What is that idiot doing?!" she muttered to herself, mildly irritated. You were not supposed to compromise a stealth mission by shouting at the most threatening figure in the room. "He's going to get himself killed!" Then the name Han had shouted fully registered in her mind, cutting through the mission focus she had had going. "Wait, Ben?"

"Han Solo," came the response from the dark figure, Ben, who seemed to be fixated on his father. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time." Mara saw several stormtroopers below begin to take up firing positions, ready to shoot the smuggler on Kylo Ren's command. About five yards to her left, the Jedi Master saw another trooper take up his position before he noticed a bit of movement to his right.

"Who's there?!" the trooper demanded, but Mara was gone, swift as the shadows that now concealed her. Rattled, the trooper turn back towards the family reunion below before a pair of hands grasped his helmet and twisted, granting the trooper a quick, painless, and most importantly silent death. Mara let the body fall, the brief distraction out of the way, she could focus on the bizarre scene playing out below. She knew that Han was gambling with his life once again, even as he strode forward on the catwalk. A light from outside seemed to shine on the two and the Jedi Master glanced upwards to see Finn, Rey, and Kat on a balcony, having opened the maintenance hatch and were now spectators to the drama below.

Han continued to stride forward, towards his son. This was his moment to bring his son back, for Leia, for Luke, for the Resistance, and perhaps most importantly, for himself. He deliberately kept his hand away from his blaster. No need for any sudden moves. The old smuggler looked at the mask that had become the visage of the man Kylo Ren. It honestly sickened him how much his son had wanted to become the next Vader. First things first. "Take off that mask. You don't need it."

The artificially deepened voice that boomed from behind that mask seemed to taunt him, mocking him for his failure. "And what do you think you'll see if I do?"

No turning back now. Han stopped about twenty yards away from the dark figure. He had given a command, and now he needed to explain why. It was the only way to get through. "The face of my son!"

Mara froze as she made her way down the next flight of steps. The Jedi Master sensed the confusion of the younger ones above her, but she, like everyone else in the room, was too focused on the interactions on the catwalk to care. She was one level above Han now, not sure if she should intervene just yet. So it was true. Ben Solo, her nephew in this dimension, was on the side of evil. What could possibly have happened to have driven him to such an act? She watched, morbidly fascinated as the man raised his hands up, unlatching the mask and taking it off. Mara looked at his face, revealed as it was now. It wasn't scarred, or burned, or deformed in any way. He wore a mask simply for preference. In many ways, this man reminded her of Jacen. Granted, Jacen tended to wear his hair shorter, and his face was just a tad less angular than this dimension's version of Leia's son, but Mara could definitely see that this man was the son of Leia and Han. The fact that he bore her own son's name angered Mara, especially with how he defiled that very name by going to the dark side.

Han was fighting back tumultuous emotions. In many ways, it was too easy for him to forget that the man now responsible in part for the complete annihilation of an entire star system was also his own flesh in blood. There had been many a night, the amount of Wooskie consumed unrelated to the matter, that he had sworn that Ben Solo had died in the Jedi Temple along with the rest of Luke's Jedi, and that some damned Force spirit had stepped into his son's corpse, wearing it like a man would a suit. But here, now, it was undeniable. His son glared back at him, daring him to get closer.

"Your son is gone!" Kylo Ren said to Han, hurling the words at him like they were blaster bolts and he the target. "He was weak and foolish like his father, so I destroyed him!" The way Ren said it, though, didn't fool Han.

"That's what Snoke wants you to believe," Han countered, striding forward, slowly but surely. One step at a time. "But he's wrong." He looked at the mask held in Ben's hand before looking back at his face. Han took a deep breath. "My son is alive!"

"No," Kylo Ren retorted, though through the many years of playing sabacc, Han had learned to read a person. "The Supreme Leader is wise." Ben was in denial, and he seemed determined to ride this to the end. There were days where Han wished he wasn't so stubborn, because he knew his son had inherited his stubbornness.

"Snoke is using you for your power." Han hated using logic against a stubborn person. He wondered belatedly whether or not this was how it was for Leia at times when she argued against him. "When he gets what he wants, he's going to crush you because he fears what you could do against him!" He was within striking distance now, arms reach. But Han could see it in his son's eyes. There was doubt, indecision, as though he knew what he had been doing was wrong. "You know it's true."

Han could see the tears that were on the brink of his son's eyes. "It's too late," Ben said simply.

"No it's not!" Han stepped forward, halving the distance between them. "Leave here with me, come home!" He knew that his son was probing his emotions, and while he had no Force sensitivity whatsoever, he was doing his best to feel his true emotions, letting his love for his son, his pain for what Ben had become, and his disappointment in himself rise to the surface, knowing that his son could feel his pain. "We miss you."

There was a pause. Ben seemed to be waging as fierce an internal debate within himself as the clash of fighters outside. He met Han's eye, and the smuggler could see the pain in his eyes. "I am being torn apart," Ben said at long last. Han could hear the pain in his voice too. He said nothing, allowing his son to continue. Perhaps talking about it would allow Ben to release his pain and make the right choice. "I want to be free of this pain!" Ben took a deep breath, fighting back a shudder. "I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it."

Mara took note of that last statement. That could've been taken in a myriad of ways, especially as she felt the turmoil within the young man. Still, she could sense a little fist of resolve beginning to form in Ben Solo. What it was tightening in resolve to, Mara couldn't sense, but the Jedi Master decided to wait and see how this would play out, as they were going to need every Force user they could get against the First Order in the long run, if they even survived this mission. If Han could convince his son to return from the dark side, it would be a serious blow to the First Order, taking away one of their assets and making it one of their own. She crept towards the catwalk, using one of the support pillars by it as cover. Mara could cover the distance between there and Han within a second, though a lot of things could happen in one second. She trusted Han though to know when to get the hell out of there.

"Will you help me?" Ben asked Han, gazing at him hopefully.

Sensing an opportunity, Han stepped forward again, close enough to embrace Ben tightly. "Yes, anything!" He let his love for his son rise up, knowing that he could sense it. Ben dropped his mask, the simple metal object clanging to the catwalk. It was awfully loud compared in the tense silence. There was a click. Han glanced down to see Ben holding his lightsaber. It wasn't the one he had had when he was training with Luke. It had what appeared to be exhaust ports on its side, as well as not being as finely crafted as his old lightsaber. Still, it was his lightsaber, and he was holding it out to Han. The symbolic meaning was not lost on Han. Over the years with Luke, at least before Skywalker vanished, he had come to realize that each lightsaber meant the world to a Jedi. So he grasped his son's lightsaber with one hand, ready to accept his son's offering. It was time to go home.

Rey and Finn both glanced backwards nervously as the outside light dimmed considerably. The sun was practically gone, and while energy still streamed towards the massive cannon unseen past the horizon, they knew that they were almost out of time. Katerina also glanced back, taking in the situation and reached out to Master Skywalker, knowing that while she was aware of why the lighting in the room had changed so suddenly, but Kat figured there was no harm in sending a pulse of urgency to Master Mara.

Han was dimly aware of the light fading. It made it harder to see his son's face, but he could see the resolve on his face hardening. The old smuggler made to pull the lightsaber away from Ben, but his son seemed reluctant to give it up, tightening his grip on the lightsaber instead. Perplexed, Han glanced down at the lightsaber before looking at his son's face. He saw the hard look on his son's face and had a moment to wonder just what it was his son was thinking about when he suddenly felt as though he was about to vomit fire. A red glow down below was the only other clue as to why he felt that way, although you didn't need to be a Jedi to figure out what had happened. The old smuggler looked up at his son, using his diminishing strength to place a hand on his cheek. He didn't feel any anger or frustration at this turn of events. Only sadness. He heard his best friend, a friend he had saved over forty years ago, and one he realized would be in a deep torment from his life debt, howl in despair. He heard the desperate cry of Rey, feeling a pang of pity for her. She seemed familiar to him, and not just because she was a mechanical genius. But his primary emotion, the one overwhelming all the other emotions, was sadness.

That sadness only intensified as his son leaned in, yanking his lightsaber out of Han's gut. "Thank you." Han was losing feeling in his body, though he was dimly aware of his body flying backwards all of a sudden, as though he had been snagged by some invisible tow cable. The next thing he was aware of was Mara grasping his limp body, telling him that he was an idiot and that they needed to get back to the _Falcon_ now, but Han summoned the strength to grasp Mara's shoulder.

"Save my son!" he gasped out before the blackness covered his vision and the old smuggler sank into oblivion.

"Come on Han, stay with me!" Mara said as she sensed his consciousness fade. She opened herself to the Force, feeling the stunned reactions of the younger ones above. That someone would stab their own father, Mara glanced at Ben. No, not Ben. He didn't deserve the name Ben. Mara glanced at Kylo Ren, who was still holding his lightsaber, ignited. The red color didn't surprise Mara, though the small blades extending perpendicular to the hilt did. As for the man himself, he seemed just as surprised at his actions as everyone else. Then he saw Mara holding Han as the Jedi Master prepared to sprint away, intending to stabilize the dying smuggler to try and save him and Kylo Ren's face contorted with a combination of shock and fear.

"Impossible," he whispered, holding his lightsaber up in a guard position. He remembered how he and the other Knights of Ren had gotten the drop on the Jedi in the Temple when Snoke had decided to move against the Jedi. Ren remembered Skywalker's cry of anguish when Kylo had stabbed Luke's wife in the back, and he had sensed the life extinguished within her. And yet, this woman, who met his gaze with the same intensity he remembered, was here. It defied all reason.

The anguished roar of Chewbacca got everybody's attention as he took aim with his bowcaster, then hesitated. This was a boy he had watched grow up, and a part of his being still felt the pull of the life debt that he had extended from Han to Leia and then Ben when he first came into the world. His rage faded as he glanced down at Mara, who locked eyes with him. Chewbacca got the message. Blow the bombs and retreat, and hopefully save Han if they were quick enough. The Wookiee turned his gaze away from the boy who he had once sworn to protect with every fiber of his being and made his way towards the exit, blasting any trooper that got in his way.

"GET BACK HERE!" Kylo Ren roared as he started down the catwalk towards Mara, who used the Force to help keep Han breathing as well as make him easier to carry, hoisting Han onto her shoulder in a firefighter style carry before seeming to vanish, the Force augmenting her speed as she sprinted out of the oscillator. Mara had a mission to do, and she had to do it fast if she was to save Han Solo. Chewbacca blasted two more troopers as he too made it to the entrance of the cavern, pulled out the detonator and pressed the button.

Katerina had activated her lightsaber as soon as the stormtroopers had turned at Rey's anguished cry of shock when Kylo Ren had stabbed Han and was busy deflecting blaster bolts away from Finn and Rey. She heard Rey choking back sobs as both the Jakku scavenger and Finn began to fire back.

"We've got to get out of here!" the young Jedi shouted at her companions, her statement of the obvious punctuated by the denotation of the bombs that had been planted in the oscillator. The explosions rippled all along the wall, decimating the squad of troopers. One of the troopers, a command insignia emblazoned on his shoulder, made to climb up towards the trio, but a quick Force push from Kat knocked him off the wall and he landed with a heavy thud in front of Kylo Ren, who had been charging from the catwalk. The Knight of Ren looked up at them, making eye contact with each and every one of them. The traitor, the scavenger, and the Jedi. There was an ominous rumble from the ceiling as pieces began to fall from the ceiling. Ren looked away from his enemies, down at Lieutenant Lekauf at his feet. Incredibly, he was still alive, even after that long fall.

"Go, my Lord," he gasped out, "Just leave me."

"I'll never leave one of my men behind," Kylo Ren declared, using the Force to lift the Lieutenant to his feet. While Lekauf couldn't stand on his own, with Ren's help, he was able to escape the oscillator with Kylo Ren and onto a speeder towards medical. The Knight of Ren could sense that there was an even bigger danger within the oscillator, and that he had to get away immediately.

 **Illeenium System, Resistance Base**

"The oscillator has sustained damage," Admiral Ackbar noted, taking in the new readouts. "But it's still operational."

Leia remained silent. She had felt the pang in the Force. Her husband was badly wounded, possibly even mortally. She could only pray that whatever had happened, it wasn't too late to save everyone.

"Admiral!" came the scared cry of the technician. "Their weapon will fire in two minutes!"

Dan watched the data stream in, fists clenched in anger. "Come on Master Skywalker, I know you can do it!"

 **Starkiller Base, Outside the Oscillator**

"Come on!" Finn shouted to Rey as they stumbled up another snow covered embankment. "The _Falcon's_ this way!" The former stormtrooper glanced back in time to see a huge explosion erupt from the oscillator. "Whoa!"

"That must have been Master Mara's baradium grenade," Katerina noted solemnly. The fact that she had watched the son of Han Solo just try and murder Han Solo had really struck a chord with her. She had never really known her own father that well, orphaned on Corellia as she had been, and that someone would try and kill their own father, well, she resolved to show Kylo Ren the error of her ways.

"Baradium?!" Finn repeated in astonishment.

Kat nodded. "We need to move." She could sense the dark presence of Kylo Ren approaching, and as she got a scope of his raw power, she could feel the Force telling them to move. Yet they had barely made it twenty yards into the forest when the sound of an igniting lightsaber brought them to a halt. The young Jedi blinked in surprise. When had he gotten in front of them? Yet there he stood, fresh and ready for battle, Kylo Ren, lightsaber pointed away from him but at the ready. She blinked again, surprised by the apparent cross guards.

"We're not done yet," Kylo Ren said, the tone of voice sending a chill down Rey's spine.

That fear quickly turned into anger. "You're a monster!" Rey spat at him

"You don't know the power of the dark side," Kylo Ren shot back. "Han Solo can't save you now, and certainly not this," he swept his hand forward disdainfully, "Jedi."

Kat stepped forward, unclipping her lightsaber from her belt. "You two better go on ahead, I'll hold him off."

"You aren't going anywhere!" the Knight of Ren snarled, holding up a hand, pinching with two fingers. Katerina suddenly felt a pressure at her throat and used the Force to push back. Glancing at her companions, she saw that they were gasping, hands clutching at their throats, trying to pull away invisible hands that restricted their precious ability to breath. The sheer power that Kylo Ren wielded lifted those two off the ground, only adding to their fear.

"Let them go!" Kat commanded, trying to put as much authority in her tone as possible.

"Who's going to stop me from wiping out a traitor?" Kylo Ren snarled at her. "You?" The young Jedi could feel the pressure intensifying, and knew she couldn't offer any chance of surrender. With that in mind, and a wish that she had Dannard by her side, she thrust a palm forward, sending a wave of Force energy at Kylo Ren. Her Force push didn't send him flying as she had intended, but it did have the effect of cutting off his Force choke as he stumbled back a couple of steps. Rey and Finn collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, coughing as the oxygen flowed back into their longs.

"How could you?" Katerina asked, lightsaber still not activated. She tried to analyze the situation, like Dan would. The snowy terrain would both aid and hinder her in a duel, and the trees could be utilized in combat with precise slices. Still, she had no clue as to Ren's style, and the raw power in the Force he gave off told her that there was a good chance she was outmatched. Still, as a Jedi Knight, she had to fight. For the freedom of the galaxy. "Your own father!"

"I did what I had to!" Ren spat back. "Like a Jedi could understand the pain I was going through. But now I am free, free to become the strongest Knight the galaxy has ever seen!"

Katerina ignited her lightsaber, the purple blade lighting up the forest, and held it up in the Makashi salute. "You'll have to get past me first." She spun her blade and held it in the Makashi opening stance, one arm pointing her blade at Kylo Ren, the other arm at her side.

Kylo Ren grinned. "That's the idea."

"Rey, Finn, get out of here!" Kat shouted, "While you have a chance!"

Finn heard the urgency in her tone and it galvanized him into action. He helped Rey to her feet. "Let's go!"

Ren had other ideas. "No, you're staying!" He flung out his hand again, the power of his Force push flinging both Rey and Finn into the air with a scream of surprise. That shriek was quickly cut off as both slammed into a tree, their heads snapping back with a sickening thud. Fortunately, the snowbanks they landed in cushioned the fall, preventing any further injury, but Kat sensed that they weren't going anywhere for a while.

 _'Master Skywalker, please hurry!'_ Kat thought, sending her cry out through the Force as she steadied herself. Kylo Ren smirked at his work before he charged, lightsaber held high in the air with both hands. He brought it down in a powerful slash, knocking aside Kat's parry easily. That first blow told her that the finesse style of Makashi that she preferred to use was going to be damn near useless. She barely got her blade around to block his reverse slash, stumbling backwards in an effort to put some distance between herself and the angry young man.

"Come on Jedi, I thought you were going to give me a challenge!" Kylo Ren taunted as he stepped away, allowing Kat to recover. She didn't like his confidence as she changed positions, placing both hands on her lightsaber and took up a sturdier guard position, shifting her swordplay from Makashi to Soresu. Ren just grinned and charged again, spinning this time to add momentum to his swing. Kat saw this, and instead of trying to intercept the blow merely deflected the swing, merely altering the momentum of the swing away from her body. It was a remarkable improvement over those first couple of swings, as the energy required to try and completely stop Ren's frenzied slashes was far greater than that needed to merely deflect them. Now instead of dying in a minute, she might die in three. Joy.

 **Airspace above the Oscillator**

The skies lit up as another TIE fighter exploded, quickly followed by the explosion of another X-Wing. The fight had been rising in the atmosphere, as the need to avoid both turret fire from the ground below and the quick lancing blasts from the swarm of TIE fighters, Black Squadron was slowly getting whittled down and pushed backwards.

"We just lost Black One!" Black Five announced grimly.

"We're overwhelmed!" Jess Testor cried out, doing a barrel roll to avoid the blasts from the pair of TIE's on her tail. With a quick flash of laser blasts, Black Four, Jami Franclo saved Jess from that particular pair of TIE's. "Whatever we do, it isn't working!"

Franclo's attack run took him through another maze of fighters, but the view he got was rather enlightening. "Black Leader, it looks like someone just blew the top off that oscillator. I think our friends got in."

Poe glanced out the side of his X-Wing, seeing the pillar of fire and smoke rising from the center of that oscillator. "Home Base, is that thing down?"

The gravelly voice of Admiral Ackbar responded quickly. "Not yet. Keep at it though, we're reading some minor power fluctuations. Not enough to destabilize the weapon."

"You heard the Admiral," Poe shouted, casually shooting down yet another TIE, "Black Four, Black Six, cover us! Everybody else, hit the target hard, we're going in for one last bombing run!" With the chorus of acknowledgment from the remainder of Black Squadron, Poe dove for the planet surface, aiming right at the oscillator. Whatever bomb had gone off in there, it had completely blown the roof off the oscillator, leaving the interior exposed. Sensing this weakness, it seemed as though the First Order fighters were throwing themselves into the path of the Resistance fighters, trying anything to prevent their enemies from succeeding. Still, the superior skills of Black Squadron enabled them to make it through the outer defenses mostly intact.

"Don't hold back," Poe instructed, "Fire everything you got!" It was an awe-inspiring sight, the sight of nearly a hundred proton torpedoes raining down from the skies into the open oscillator, and the explosion was even more spectacular. Poe actually saw the shock wave of the explosion ripple through the ground.

"Nice shooting!" Jess whooped in triumph.

"Does anyone have eyes on the _Falcon?"_ Jami asked. A chorus of negatives came over the chat.

"I'm not leaving til I see them," Poe declared. "We'll hang on as long as we can!"

 **Starkiller Base Forest**

Katerina blocked another two wild flails from Kylo Ren. His form was a wild variation of Shii-Cho, his tendencies aggressive, and his overall lightsaber skills rather poor for one so powerful in the Force. The sheer power of his swings made up for his lackluster lightsaber skills, forcing the young Jedi into her basic Soresu techniques in order to survive. She thought she saw a couple of Juyo techniques in one of his attack katas, though Kat would've preferred to have had Dan to confirm her suspicions. As it was, she kept backing up, hoping to outlast Kylo Ren's overly aggressive swings, perhaps wear him out so that she could go on the offensive. A parry here, a desperate deflection there, then Kat saw an opportunity, attempting to slide her blade down Ren's in order to strike at his hands. If she could just wound him, it might be enough to turn this Duel around.

To her dismay, Kat had forgotten about the cross guards and her attempt to disarm Ren was deflected away by the cross guards. Ren made her pay for that attempt in blood, punching her in the face and nicking her thigh with his own blade. Katerina spun with the blow, using the momentum to slide away from Ren and gain that split second needed to recompose herself. She was breathing heavily, drawing on the Force to sooth her aching muscles. Her mobility was now more limited than before. Kat dove to the side to avoid a crashing tree, as while she had composed herself, Ren had cut down a tree and nudged it to fall towards her. Kat rolled along the ground and brought her blade up in time to catch Ren's downward slash. He pressed down on her, using gravity and his natural strength to his advantage, then twisted his blade so that the cross guard was aimed at her shoulder.

The young Jedi saw the mini blade slowing sinking towards her and decided to gamble. She let herself collapse, using her legs and Kylo Ren's momentum, as well as some help from the Force to launch the Knight of Ren away from her. She scrambled back to her feet, using her free hand to grasp at the sudden pain in her shoulder. In the chaos, the cross guard had nicked her shoulder. She definitely wasn't prepared for such a lightsaber, though Kat could see why Kylo Ren used that lightsaber. Time to reveal her own surprise. Kat dipped her hand into the pouch on her left hip, pulling out a pair of her signature throwing stars. In one smooth motion, the young Jedi flung her secret weapon at her opponent, who had recovered in time to take the first star to his right shoulder and the second opening a flesh wound on his left cheek.

"Cute," he commented, though his tone barely hid the rage behind it as he yanked the star in his shoulder out and flung it to the side.

"You know what they say," Kat quipped, a pained but cheeky grin on her face. "The cute ones always surprise you."

"I'll be sure to mark those words on your grave," Ren spat back as he charged once more, another two-handed overhand slash crashing down onto Kat's purple blade.

 _ **Millennium Falcon**_

Mara could sense the distress of her former apprentice and the darkness of Kylo Ren pressing down on her, but she was more focused on stabilizing Han. The _Falcon_ had a very basic medbay, good enough to stabilize someone after an amputation, but it was going to be touch and go for Han until they could get back to a proper medical wing on D'Qar. Still, Mara refused to give up on Han, scouring the _Falcon_ for every bit of medical supplies available and improvising with what she had.

"Come on Han, you're too stubborn to die," the Jedi Master said encouragingly as she finished setting up the IV. She had patched the hole in his gut as best as she could and was providing nutrient bags to keep his body from shutting down. The heart monitor was beeping weakly, but the fact that it was still beeping was all Mara needed to hear. She had finished setting up a second drip, this one to provide various drugs that would keep Han alive when Chewbacca came rumbling on board, and upon seeing his best friend lying in the medbay came rushing over, throwing his bowcaster aside and grasping Han's hand in two giant fuzzy hands. The Wookiee growled a fearful question at Mara, looking at her hopefully.

"If we're quick, he might just live," Mara told him quickly, feeling a rumble pass through the ground. If the planet was collapsing like the Resistance technicians had predicted, then they were going to have to get out of there quickly, but they weren't leaving without the three younger members of this little group. "Chewie, you're going to have to get the _Falcon_ ready for takeoff. I've done all I can for him, and I have to go get Kat, Finn and Rey." The Jedi Master placed a comforting hand on the Wookiee's shoulder. "If we want Han to get through this, we have to move quickly." Chewbacca barked an affirmative and sprinted towards the cockpit. He wasn't going to fail his life debt to Han. Not while there was a chance.

Mara allowed herself a smile before she too sprinted for the entrance hatch. There wasn't any time to waste.

 **Starkiller Base Forest**

Kat was in a bind. After the surprise factor of her throwing stars had scored her first hit of the duel, Kylo Ren had been on her relentlessly, not giving her any time to pull out any more stars. Ren had her backed against a tree when their sabers locked.

"Well now Jedi," Ren taunted, "Any last words?"

"I might have a few," Kat grunted, straining to hold him back. "Like this one; timber!" With a Force-augmented shove, she redirected the blades to cut through the tree she had been pressed against. She darted out of the way, allowing the tree to fall between them and gain some precious space she desperately needed. Quick as she could, she went for another throwing star and had it raised high above her head, ready to throw it when Kylo Ren leaped over the tree. A part of her sensed Rey and Finn coming to behind her, but the rest of her was focused on blocking Kylo Ren's frenzied slash. She flicked her left hand to throw her weapon, then her eyes grew wide as she realized that the Knight of Ren wasn't slashing at her body. The red crackling blade sliced through her left wrist, catching her follow through and leaving her one hand short. She couldn't hold back the cry of pain from her disarmament and stumbled back, her right hand holding her purple blade in front of her to block any other attacks.

Kylo Ren grinned as he regarded her on the ground, her features still showing defiance in the bleak situation. "You still intend to fight me with only one arm?"

"A Knight will never back down," Kat retorted, fighting back tears as she held her stump under her arm, the pain excruciating. Whatever Kylo Ren was going to say was cut off as a blue blade ignited in the darkness and Finn charged, shouting a war cry with the lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker held high above his head.

"That lightsaber!" Ren noted as he sidestepped Finn's charge easily. "It belongs to me!"

"Come and take it!" Finn shot back as he swung the blade at Ren.

"No Finn!" Kat shouted as she lunged forward, intercepting Kylo's stab at the former stormtrooper with her blade held in her one good arm. Finn slashed at the Knight of Ren, forcing him on the defensive for once. The former stormtrooper trusted Kat to guard him while he attacks his former commander. This was a fight they couldn't afford to lose.

Kylo Ren nearly laughed at Finn's attempts to fight. Perhaps, if he had been shot a couple of times, Finn might have put up a fight against him, but he was fresh, baptized in the dark side, and ready for combat. His danger sense tingled and with a Force push giving him some space between the two lightsaber wielders, he spun and blocked a blaster shot from Rey, who, while appearing shaky, still held that fierce glare. "You!"

"Come on, we can take him together!" Finn shouted, recovering from the Force push quickly and lunging forward. The Knight of Ren sensed his attack and spun again, bringing his lightsaber down hard to both stop Finn's attack cold and utilize the cross guards to deliver a nasty gash along Finn's arm. With a yelp of pain, Finn dropped the lightsaber and stumbled back, saved by Kat's desperate block. Rey shot at Ren again, and the Knight of Ren used the Force to stop the blaster bolt in midair.

"You can't stop me!" Ren shouted, "Han Solo couldn't! Luke Skywalker couldn't! The First Order will reign supreme!" The ground rumbled ominously as if to punctuate his statement. Kat saw in the distance the ground seeming to collapse, creating a chasm that appeared to lead directly to the planet's mantle. She resigned herself to joining the Force soon, her only regret being that she couldn't be with Dannard in these final moments.

Kylo Ren raised his lightsaber above his head, ready to deliver the final blow to Kat when a wave of Force energy launched him into the air. He came down about ten yards away, lightsaber held in a guard position as the blaster bolt he had frozen in midair earlier was released from his grip, slamming into the tree next to the Knight of Ren. His eyes grew wide as he realized just who was facing him. "You! You aren't my aunt!"

"Good," Mara Jade Skywalker said as she ignited the blue blade of the lightsaber, given to her by her husband so many years ago. "Then it won't be a family crime to cut you down."

 **So, how was that for a chapter? Crazy how not taking an overpowered bowcaster shot to the gut can allow a guy to be that much more threatening. So, I buffed Kylo Ren ever so slightly, made a not so subtle reference to the EU, and made chaos go down. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Response to Guest Reviews (In order with which they reviewed)**

 **Prashant: I enjoyed the Force Awakens as a whole, and while I could complain about the flaws that so many complain about, I figure it's better not to let it get you down. Also, Rey's theme was pretty damn good, so I don't know how you can say John Williams didn't make another masterpiece in 7**

 **CG: 1, fair enough, having read the Bane trilogy, I can see where you're coming from. 2, in canon that makes sense, though in real life, Vader's armor came first, so I'm not surprised Vader's armor is a "rendition" of "traditional" Sith armor. 3, I just want to see the Jedi in action again, truth be told. I want to see a massive battle of Jedi vs Sith. I want action! The name is Star Wars, so while it will take a long time to truly restore the old Jedi Order back to its peak, I just want to see something indicating that it will happen by the end of IX. 4, that's getting into the Fate of the Jedi series almost, lol. 5, I honestly don't know. I want to watch Rouge One and determine it for myself. I so desperately want Mara to be Rey's mother in canon, as she was my favorite EU character. Her, Thrawn, and Jaina are my top 3 EU characters.**

 **I don't know about this prophecy of the Chosen One shenanigans sparking the conflict. There's simply not enough info for me to confirm or deny such ruminations.**

 **I would love to see an Old Republic type trilogy. I mean, the cinematics for The Old Republic MMO are absolutely incredible, if expensive to make, but damn I would pay big money to see such a movie.**

 **We've got a long ways to go in Season 3 of Rebels, with a tease of an Obi-Wan vs Maul rematch, to Thrawn, to the Bendu. As for the light and dark holocrons answering any question, I'm certain that Ezra will want to try again. That kind of power is very tempting to anyone. It might be a tipping point towards the dark side. I don't know, but I'm looking forward to finding out.**

 **I really don't care if Skywalkers like older women, and the Clone Wars only lasted for 3 years anyways, so we're looking at a minimum 3 year gap between Luke and Jyn anyways, which isn't that big of a deal. And the age gap between Anakin and Padme was 5 years. Skywalker was 9 in Ep I, Padme 14. Which still isn't that big of a deal.**

 **Guest: I try to update as soon as I can, but I have college, work, homework, and life also cutting in, so I can't work on my stories 24/7 as some people would like. Be patient with me, lol, for I will not abandon a story. I might take a month or two in between updates, but I will deliver.**

 **Denz-El: I try to respond to everybody whenever possible, even if they make a bad Palpatine quote, lol. I enjoyed the prequels thoroughly. Haters be damned, if they want to blindly hate some movies because it didn't feel like the 1980s, well, that's their loss. Every movie has its flaws. Just enjoy it while you can, and if you don't like it, then make your own story.**

 **Yes, Mara is faring better than Ben, lol, she's still alive. I like that idea as to why the Death Star Duel was….not as good as the Mustafar Duel. It's a logical explanation at least.**

 **Now, I'll admit that Kat was not as clear with her hint as it sounded in my head, but I was trying to convey that she wanted them to activate the speeder when they had hotwired it, signaling her to move and get to the speeder. But I suppose that's water under the bridge at this point. I probably shouldn't be working on this story at 2 in the morning, lol. Too much attempt at being the mysterious Jedi, I guess. Regardless, glad you're enjoying the story, as well as being a Rey Skywalker supporter, God bless my friend and hope to hear from you soon!**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review, as I welcome any and all constructive criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve. Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **Follow me on Twitter, at nuttybuddy792, for more content and interactions.**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


	12. A Duel of Dimensions

**Good evening everybody. It's finals week here at Towson, and I just got this chapter done before I get into the heart of things. Who else is excited for Rouge One? Yeah, it might just be Disney crapping on the EU again (Myles Matarn? Really?), but I'm no movie critic, I just hope that the movie will be decent enough. It's entertainment after all. Now then, the chapter you've all be waiting so patiently for.**

 **Rey: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars and all its affiliates are all owned by Disney, Lucasfilm, and George Lucas. Please support the official release!**

 **Chapter 12: A Duel of Dimensions**

Mara took in the situation with the trained eye of both a Jedi Master and an Emperor's Hand. She had seen Kylo Ren standing over Katerina, poised to deliver a killing blow and had simply pushed. Now that he was a relatively safe distance away, the Jedi Master could take in more details. Brave Katerina, holding the stump of her arm while pointing her blade at Ren, so much relief in her Force signature at the arrival of Mara. Finn, the plucky former Stormtrooper, hopelessly in love, willing to do whatever it took to save Rey, including challenging a Force user like Kylo Ren, cradling his crippled right arm as it hung, nearly split in two. And Rey. Mara felt her fear, her anger, and several other dark emotions swirling about her, but what struck her the most was her resolve. She definitely had that Skywalker resolve in her and it was that, and her sense of hope that shone through the dark emotions like a ray of light in the darkness.

"I don't know who you are or where you got a copy of Grandfather's lightsaber," Kylo Ren began warily, though there was a healthy fear in his eyes. Mara allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction on that before she focused on her opponent. "But don't think that your trickery will be enough to stop me!"

"This?" Mara held up her lightsaber before using the Force to call the second lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker to her hand. Her tone was deadly calm. Kat had only heard Mara use that tone when she was about to go all out against an opponent. It didn't happen often. "No, there's no trickery here. You've harmed my former apprentice, tried to murder your own father, and are responsible for the destruction of an entire system. You're a disgrace to the Skywalker name."

Ren snarled as he held out a hand to try and rip one of the lightsabers out of Mara's hand, but the Jedi Master merely countered his pull with her own mental grip. The Knight of Ren then smirked at Mara. "I killed you before, I can do it again!"

That got Mara's attention. "Really? Because as I stand, better people than you have tried." She ignited her lightsaber with the classic snap-hiss, returning the other lightsaber to her belt. She glanced at Kat as she stepped forward. "You've done well Kat. Get Finn and Rey back to the _Falcon_."

The young Jedi nodded, extinguishing her blade as she stood up. "Yes Master." Despite the obvious pain she was in, Kat helped Finn up, taking care not to jostle his arm too much.

"You sure she'll be alright all on her own?" Mara heard Finn ask Kat quietly.

"Trust me," Kat replied, casting a wry glance back at Mara. "I do not want to be in his boots right now." With that, they trudged off, though Rey remained behind, concern on her features.

"Tell me," Kylo Ren taunted, holding up his crackling red blade. "If killing his wife made Luke run away once, what will killing his wife a second time do?" Mara fixated him with a glare. She didn't even give him a chance to surrender. She just sprang. Ren's eyes turned from gloating to scared in an instant, barely getting his blade up in time to block her downwards slash. She used the attack as a springboard to add even more power to her attack and Mara was rewarded with a grunt of pain as Kylo Ren's own blade bit into his shoulder ever so slightly. With a graceful flip, Mara landed behind Ren, who spun with a mighty slash that would've taken her head off had she not crouched down. She used the opening granted to her by his wild swung to plant a Force-enhanced kick in his ribs, launching him backwards. He landed on his back with a gasp.

"Tell me Ben," Mara spat at him, venom lacing that last word. "What could you possibly have gained by joining this Snoke person? What could he have possibly offered you that our family couldn't?" She stalked forward, ever so cautious. There was no point in letting one's guard down. Not at this critical juncture. Ren may not have the skills of a Jedi Master like she did, but the dark side was powerful, and could catch many off guard.

"My name," the Knight of Ren spat back as he clambered to his feet, "is Kylo Ren! And Luke was holding me back! But with Snoke, I will become the most powerful Knight this galaxy has ever seen!" With that he leaped at her, a simple overhand chop that Mara blocked with ease. The Jedi Master let him flail away at her for another few swings, calmly blocking each strike. The crossguards were of no avail to him either, as any attempt Ren made to utilize the little blades was avoiding by Mara taking a step backwards.

"You certainly don't deserve the name of Ben, that's for sure," Mara told Kylo Ren as their blades locked. Her green eyes bore into his brown eyes, which she noted had a few flecks of yellow within them. This boy was feeding on the darkness and it in turn was corrupting him further. There was the sound of a blaster being fired and both Ren and Mara had to duck to avoid the shot. Rey had decided to try and blast Ren in the back while the opportunity had presented itself, but both Force users had sensed it coming.

"Rey, get back to the _Falcon_!" Mara shouted as Ren growled.

"You want to play games with me little girl?" the anger in Ren's voice was almost tangible. "I can play!" With that, he took his right hand off his lightsaber and made a pinching motion. Once again, Rey was lifted off the ground, grasping at her throat.

"No!" Mara shouted, lunging forward. Her blade was quick, like a viper, but Ren's Force Push was quicker and she was forced backwards a couple meters.

"Put down your weapon or she dies!" Kylo Ren ordered. Mara heard Rey's choked cry and it tore at her heart. She could feel Rey's fear and it reminded her of Ben when he was young and being hunted during the Vong War. Rey may not have been her actual child in this dimension, but she was close enough that it didn't matter to the Jedi Master.

With a clarity the likes she had never felt before, Mara sank into the Force, once again lunging forwards. "Not my daughter you sleemo!" she shouted. Time seemed to slow down. She lunged. Kylo Ren made to parry. There was a small explosion of Force energy as Rey somehow, desperately, impossibly, broke free of Ren's Force grip, the Jakku scavenger landing in a snow drift and gasping for air. Both combatants were buffeted with a wave of Force energy. Mara felt a tug on her hip as the blade of Anakin Skywalker from this dimension tore itself off and began to fly away. Her mind as quick as it had always been, Mara regained a Force grip over the weapon, not wishing to face two lightsabers from Kylo Ren until she felt the presence gripping the lightsaber. With a small grin, Mara let the other lightsaber go, maintaining her grip on her own weapon. Even operating on instinct, Rey still had the natural talent and gift of a Skywalker.

Kylo Ren straightened, eyes wide as he sensed the situation turning against him. "Impossible!" Rey looked up to see the lightsaber that had been hanging off Mara's hip partially buried in the snow in front of her. With a hesitant hand, she grasped it.

"THAT LIGHTSABER IS MINE!" Ren roared as he sprang towards Rey, hand outstretched. There was a blur of red hair, black clothes, and blue lightsaber and Kylo Ren found himself facing Mara Jade Skywalker once more.

"You lost your right to that blade," Mara said simply and shoved, both with her arms and her mind. Ren went flying back once more, slamming into a tree. The Jedi Master gave him no time to recover and was on top of him in an instant. Ren looked up at her, realizing now just how outclassed he was. Mara brought her blade down, cutting through the tree as Ren dodged and began to back away. Mara gave him no quarter. Like a nexu, she was all over her prey.

"Leia told me," Mara said between swings. "How you-" vmmm "idolized" vmmm "Darth" vmmm "Vader" vmmm. Their blades locked in a crackle. The Jedi Master glared at Kylo Ren, the man who had dared to betray his family and take the side of evil. "Let me give you an idea of how he felt." Ren's look of curiosity was all Mara needed. With another powerful shove, she knocked Ren's lightsaber skywards and spun in a counterclockwise circle, striking low. Kylo Ren let out a cry of agony as the blue blade sliced through his right knee and another as Mara brought the blade upwards, cutting through Ren's left elbow as he tried to bring his blade down to block. The afterswing of Mara's precise cut caught Ren's face, cutting a slim gash from the bottom of his left cheek, narrowly missing his eye before the cut ended in the center of his forehead. That was the least crippling wound Mara gave him in the span of a second. Kylo Ren collapsed at her feet, the crackling red blade falling to the ground in his limp severed arm and extinguishing itself.

"GAhh!" Ren cried out, completely at the mercy of the Jedi Master standing over him. "I don't understand- aghhh"

"Vader was a pawn," Mara said to him, taking a deep breath. "Nothing more than Palpatine's tool in the Sith's quest to dominate the galaxy. Perhaps with time, you would have came to see that too, but I can't allow you to continue as a menace to the galaxy." She stepped forward, ready to deal the finishing blow, seeing the look of terror in Ren's eyes and hesitated. Mara could hear Luke now, in her head admonishing her for the action she was about to take. She looked back, saw Rey standing up on shaky legs, looking at the lightsaber in her hand in sheer astonishment, then looked back to Ren. With a sigh, she closed down her lightsaber. As if on cue, the ground rumbled and Mara took a hasty step back as another chasm opened up between her and Ren. The red glow of lava frothing below told Mara that it was time to get out of there before the planet became Mustafar or worse.

"What just happened?!" Rey asked as Mara approached her. She seemed very shaken, and given what had just transpired, Mara didn't blame her. She glanced back and the chasm that had separated her from Ren was now a few clicks wide and expanding. Kylo Ren was just a speck in the distance, and it looked like his First Order buddies were picking him up.

"Right now, we need to get out of here," Mara said turning back to Rey. The Jakku scavenger offered her the lightsaber, but Mara shook her head. "Hold on to it for now." With that, the two women were off.

 **Starkiller Base Communications Chamber**

General Hux was nearly breathless as he ran into the chamber. Several rocks were falling from the rumbling ceiling, interrupting the hologram of the scarred Supreme Leader. Still, he had to do his duty. "Supreme Leader!" Hux was not going to enjoy delivering this news. "The fuel cells have ruptured! The collapse of the planet has begun."

To the general's relief, the Supreme Leader did not seem all that concerned. "Leave the base at once and come to me with Kylo Ren." In fact, if Hux didn't know any better, he would say that Snoke seemed rather pleased with the day's turn of events. He seemed to be staring off into the distance. "It is time. Time to complete his training." With that cryptic statement, the hologram faded and Hux knew he had to get the hell out of there.

 **Starkiller Base Upper Atmosphere**

"Still no sign of the _Falcon_ ," Jess Testor reported, wheeling her X-Wing around for another pass. "And it doesn't look like the planet's going to last much longer."

"I've got movement!" Poe interrupted. A pause. "All teams! I got eyes on them!" That got the remaining few dozen X-Wing pilots whooping in celebration. "Let's go home!" For those that had their rear cameras active, it was a sight that would never be replicated. All the energy that had been stolen from the star was getting released at once, and one could see the star trying to poke out from the planet's surface. Further view of the vids would show several First Order ships trying to get away from the dying planet, but for now, it was like watching some creature hatch from an egg. A fiery, hydrogen fueled, extremely hot creature. Then the equator collapsed in on itself and the rest of the planet soon followed, any solid matter getting consumed in a matter of seconds. The fleeing X-Wings could feel the tug as the gravity of the reborn star tried to draw everything in the immediate vicinity into itself. Several First Order ships were unable to escape the gravity well of the star and exploded into flame as the materials superheated into atoms, but more of the ships escaped than those that were consumed. The Resistance Fighters didn't stick around for any First Order retribution and soon disappeared into hyperspace.

 _ **Millennium Falcon,**_ **Hyperspace Transit**

"How are Han's vitals?" Mara asked as she entered the medbay of the _Falcon_. Chewbacca groaned an answer to which Mara nodded. Vitals were low, but Han would survive the trip. Whether or not he would last longer than that, it was up to the Force. Satisfied with that for now, the Jedi Master checked in on the other two patients. The gash Ren had left in Finn's forearm was nasty, and Mara suspected that it was going to take more than one transplant to save that arm, if it could even be saved.

"It only hurts when I move," Finn said when Mara queried him about the wound. Rey was there, wrapping it as gently as possible, though when she saw Mara approach, she had stopped, looking at the Jedi Master with curiosity, wonder, and a bit of apprehensiveness. Mara took it in stride and moved on to Katerina. The young Jedi was attempting to meditate, but Mara could tell that she was in too much pain to properly meditate. The Jedi Master used the Force to call a bottle of painkillers to her hand.

"Guess I should've sparred more with Dan, huh Master?" Kat said in an ironic tone, giving up the pretense of meditation and slouching on the _Falcon's_ couch. A single tear dripped from her brown eyes, the young Jedi unable to hold it back from the agony she was in. "Do you think Grand Master Skywalker had it this bad when Vader cut off his arm?"

Mara snorted gently as she opened the bottle and fished out four pills. "You tell me, though I think the revelation that Vader was his father took some sting out of the injury." She held out the pills to Kat, no words necessary.

Kat accepted the pills in her hand, swallowing them quickly. "That would make a bad situation worse," she quipped, wincing as she accidentally bumped the wall with her stump. "Ow."

Mara could feel for her former apprentice, knowing that her husband occasionally experienced ghost pains in a hand that was no longer there. She only hoped that the Resistance had the proper equipment to fit her with a good prosthetic. "Just take it easy Kat. You showed that you are worthy of the title Knight out there. You did the Order proud."

"Sure doesn't feel like it," Kat grumbled, but Mara could tell that the compliment had lifted her spirits ever so slightly. Satisfied that the wounded were taken care of as best they could in the _Falcon's_ limited medbay, Mara made her way back to the cockpit for a moment of reflection. Blowing up superweapons certainly seemed to be becoming a Skywalker family tradition. Still, it was a long and daunting task ahead of them. Priority number one now was finding her husband. He knew more about Snoke than she did, and that information would be vital in stopping the First Order. Kylo Ren was not going to be a problem, not for her at least. That much had been proven today. She'd been on the side of the Imperials during the Galactic Civil War, now she was going to see how it had been on the side of the Rebels, or Resistance in this incarnation. It was going to be tough, but Mara had dealt with tough times before, when she had been on the run before falling in with Talon Karrde. She hoped to gather more information about the situation from Coruscant when she had the chance. Several soft footsteps approaching interrupted her ruminations about the future and the Jedi Master sensed Rey hesitate before the entrance to the cockpit.

"Don't be afraid," Mara said, turning around in the pilot's chair. She sensed the trepidation in Rey, and tried her best to project a soothing aura.

"What's happening to me?" Rey asked, fear in her tone. She held up the lightsaber she had called to her, however unintentionally. "Why does this lightsaber keep coming for me?"

Mara took a deep breath before answering. This was a delicate situation. "Rey, you have a gift that you are finally coming into. People like myself and Kat use the Force. The Force surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together. It's what gives us our power."

"But I'm just a scavenger," Rey protested, looking at the lightsaber in her hand. "I don't have any power."

Mara gave her a knowing smile. "Rey, you are far more than a simple scavenger. The Force is a gift. I have it. My husband has it." She indicated Rey with a nod of her head. "You have that power too."

The Jakku scavenger was silent for a moment, trying to come to terms with what Mara was saying. "I don't understand."

"It's all right Rey," Mara said gently. "But you will in time."

Rey fell silent again, and Mara could sense her wrestling with another question. This one was weighing heavily on her. The Jedi Master waited, allowing Rey to muster the courage she needed to ask. There was nothing but the hum of the engines and the rush of blue outside the viewport. Finally, Rey spoke. "What was all that about when you said 'not my daughter'?"

Mara sighed. She'd hoped to have found Luke before having to explain this, as having Luke there to confirm her feelings would have been nice. Still, no point in beating around the bush. "Rey, I don't have any other way to say it."

Rey's eyes went wide as she began to grasp Mara's implication. "You can't mean?"

Mara nodded. "Rey, I am your mother." Rey gaped at Mara for a moment, shock rippling through the Force. Mara held out her hand to Rey. "I know it's a lot to take in. But while I don't have all the answers, I know that together, as a family, we can make the galaxy a better place."

Rey's mind was in turmoil. As she had scrapped her way through each day on Jakku, she had often given thought about the parents that had left her there. The earliest she could remember was Unkar Plutt holding her back as she screamed at an ascending starship, desperately imploring it to come back. Now, here was one of her parents, at long last, and it felt, odd. It was there, on the edge of her memory, and she strained to recall just what it was. All she got was a flash of red hair, and bright green eyes, looking on in sadness before the memory faded to black. With a gasp, Rey flinched, looking at Mara's hand. "Mother?" She took Mara's hand, and the Jedi Master pulled her into a gentle hug. It felt right.

"It's alright," Mara said, as she could feel Rey choking back sobs. "It's alright."

"Why come back now?" Rey asked. "Why wait for so long?"

"It's more complicated than I can explain," Mara answered simply. A beeping on the console broke up the moment. "Once we find Luke, I hope things will become clear."

 **Ileenium System, Planet D'Qar**

It was a bittersweet landing. Most of the Resistance had turned out to the landing pad to welcome home the victorious pilots after pulling off another miracle that would reverberate throughout the galaxy for decades to come. Then a med team came rushing through the crowd, alerted by Mara's transmission beforehand. Mara's heart went out to Leia as she saw Chewbacca carrying her badly wounded husband to the med team. She'd seen that haunted look on Leia once before, at the height of the Vong War, when her youngest son Anakin Solo had died. Leia took an appraising look at Rey as she descended the _Falcon_ ramp, looked to Mara and nodded before following her husband and the team of medics that was swarming about him, Finn, and Katerina. Mara noted Dannard's face when he saw the wounded Katerina and could feel the turmoil of emotions within the young Jedi. She resolved to talk to him later, but right now she had to deal with a dazed Rey.

The Jakku scavenger was watching the celebration from the entrance of the _Falcon_ , unsure of what to do. For most of her life, it had been about survival. Now here she was, on a lush green world, facing an uncertain future filled with legends come to life and parents whom she had nearly given up on. Mara approached Rey, who had been silent since they'd dropped out of hyperspace. "Rey, I understand if you need some time to let this sink in. Just know that if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Rey merely nodded and continued to watch the celebration.

 _ **The New Force Awakens**_

Chewbacca paced anxiously outside the medbay, peering in every so often at the doctors that were operating on Han. It was a great dishonor in Wookiee culture to let someone he owed a life debt to die, especially if it went unavenged. But this was not his expertise, and as such, Chewbacca was powerless to do anything but watch and pray. He knew Leia was in there, watching, as hopeful as he was and just as scared. With a roar of frustration, the Wookiee punched the wall. Nearby, a droid had just finished siphoning through the millions of terrabytes of data that he had received from Coruscant. He had what he needed to find his master, and now it was time to let the others know. Several beeps from R2-D2 as he powered up alerted another nearby droid, who happily rolled up and beeped at the astromech droid.

"R2-D2!" exclaimed the prissy voice of a protocol droid. C-3PO moved as fast as he could towards the two beeping droids. "You've come back at last!" R2-D2 let out a string of rapid beeps at C-3PO, excited for the first time in years.

"You've found what?!" Threepio exclaimed, scarcely able to believe what he was hearing. Another string of beeps, this one a little more like snickering which prompted C-3PO to whack Artoo upside his dome. "How dare you call me that!" More beeps. "Find Master Luke? How?" More explanatory beeps and whistles. "Oh! We must tell the general!" With that, the two reunited droids set off to find Leia, the third wheel of their party content to roll along behind them and observe.

 **Bit of a winding down from the previous chapter, I'll admit, diverging from canon in some ways and staying true to canon in others. Do not worry my friends! We'll see Luke Skywalker soon. Yes, Mara crushed Kylo Ren. Why wouldn't she? Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Response to Guest Reviews (In order with which they reviewed)**

 **CG: There are plenty of reasons for Mara to be mad at Ren. Ren had made one bad decision after another, and while Mara is a badass, she's still a Jedi. And of course we can't kill off Kylo Ren just yet. As for Old Republic material, yes they have a TON of stories to go after, the biggest one I believe they could make a trilogy on being the Revan story. Revan, Bane, the origin of both Orders, the Old Republic MMO, there's so much to be explored, they could make dozens and dozens of Old Republic movies and make a fortune. Of course, they could do that with Clone Wars/Rebels TV shows as well. I'll take whatever I can get.**

 **I am not a fan of the bleeding crystals idea. It just sounds silly. I prefer the old canon with the colored crystals vs the synthetic crystals the Sith used. And yes, Visions and Voices was a pretty good episode, all things considered, and all but confirmed that Kenobi will make one last appearance, hopefully to settle the matter with Maul once and for all.**

 **Denz-El: I intentionally put disarmament, a bit of a joke really, you know, disarmed, lost an arm….. (Nappa voice: I get it!). Yup. She'll get a prosthetic in due time. More character development for future chapters. Han's alive, barely. Will he make it? Time will tell. Hopefully I did Mara and Rey justice in this chapter, as well as making Kylo Ren stronger than what we've seen. God bless my friend!**

 **Sir CiCi: Well, I hope I delivered. I'm glad you're enjoying the story! Hope to hear from you again in future chapters!**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review, as I welcome any and all constructive criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve. Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **Follow me on Twitter, at nuttybuddy792, for more content and interactions.**

 **Merry Christmas to those that believe!**

 **Happy Hanukah to those that believe in something else!**

 **Happy Holidays to those that don't believe!**

 **And to all peace on earth and goodwill towards all!**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


	13. A Knight in Exile

**Good evening everyone. A lot has happened since the Nutty Buddy has updated this story last. Rogue One, Carrie Fisher, Rebels, and that's just the Star Wars related stuff. This chapter took some time, mainly because I rewrote this thing three times trying to get the feel just right. It's Star Wars. I want to do the story justice. Now then, for the finale of The Force Awakens movie (but not this story_)**

 **Luke Skywalker: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars and all its affiliates are all owned by Disney, Lucasfilm, and George Lucas. Please support the official release!**

 **Chapter 13: A Knight in Exile**

Dannard Noslen stood by his best friend, watching as Dr. Kalonia's partner, a dark blue-skinned Twi'lek named Cham'ra work on her new left hand. Despite the fact that cybernetic prosthetics had been a part of the galactic norm for millennia, the process of installing the complex synth-net neural interface through which the recipient would be able to use the new limb had not yet been refined to the point that the pain would be minimal. Even with the aid of a DD-13 medical droid, Dr. Cham'ra was forced to work slowly, as the Resistance base was not an ideal medical center, far away from the more high-tech planets as D'Qar was. There was no synthflesh available, as tight as they were on resources, so the bare metal of Kat's new hand was visible.

"How's the pain?" Dr. Cham'ra asked as he made another connection in the interface. The wires sparked as the connection was made, getting a wince from the young Jedi.

"Tolerable," Katerina gritted out, faced scrunched up in pain. She'd only taken a few more light painkillers since getting off the _Falcon_ , declaring that this was as good a chance as any to practice her pain-reducing Force techniques. She'd had limited success.

"I'm going to take that as though you're in complete agony," the middle-aged Twi'lek doctor said dryly. "Deedee, administer another dose of painkillers, point one seven ceecee."

"Yes Doctor," droned the med droid, preparing the needle immediately.

"You may be a Jedi, young lady," Dr. Cham'ra said as he cut off her feeble protests, "But that doesn't mean I'm going to allow you to suffer under my care. Deedee, if you would."

"It'll be alright Kat," Dan said as he offered a hand to his friend. She took it with her right hand, her flesh hand, and he squeezed it gently, showing his support. Kat squeezed back, much more tightly than he had as she wrestled with a fresh surge of pain, as the painkillers just injected needed time to take effect. He fought back a surge of anger, knowing that the one responsible for this was still at large, however messed up he had been by Master Skywalker. If only he hadn't been so weak on Takodana, he could've been there to help Kat. He could've prevented this. He could've-

"Your thoughts betray you," Kat said weakly, snapping her friend out of his darkening thoughts.

Dan did a double-take, looking down at Kat. "What?"

"You're scared for me," the young Jedi continued, showing surprising lucidity for one injected with painkillers. "Don't be Dan. We both did what we had to do."

"But I should've been there to help!" Dan protested, glancing once more at Katerina's new hand. "You got hurt because of my weakness."

"We're Jedi Knights," Kat replied, also looking down at her new appendage. "It's an occupational hazard." That got a chuckle out of both Dan and Dr. Cham'ra, as well as Mara Jade Skywalker, who had just entered the room.

"How is she, Doctor?" the Jedi Master asked striding over. "Obviously she's well enough to make jokes."

"And that's all she should be doing right now," Dr. Cham'ra said matter-of-factly. "We're about to enter the final stages of neural integration, so I must ask that you try to remain as still as possible Miss Lennoc. Deedee, if you would take over the neural interface."

"Of course, Doctor," the medical droid said, moving into position.

"Dan, I'd like to have a word with you in the hall," Mara said in a tone that would brook no argument.

"Of course Master," Dannard replied, bowing his head. He let go of Kat's hand as she gave him a reassuring look.

"I'm not bailing you out of this one," she joked, watching the med droid work on her mechanical hand. Dan grinned as he left the room, meeting a mildly concerned Mara.

"Kat already said it," Dan said as he saw the look on the Jedi Master's face. "My thoughts betray me. Tell me Master, do they stab me in the back or do they just give me a swift kick in the butt?"

Mara snorted. "More often than not, it's harmless. But you're letting your attachments get the better of you." She looked at the young man, one that Master Sabatyne had mentioned a few times with some humorous hisses. Mara missed that Barabel, as well as the rest of her friends and family in their old dimension. Looking forward, Mara realized that the only ones with actual Jedi training in this dimension were the two young Knights, herself, and the Luke Skywalker of this dimension, at least those she was aware of. She was going to need all the help she could get, and they couldn't afford any losses at this juncture. With that in mind, the Jedi Master began her little lesson. "Do you remember what Master Solusar said in her lecture on the path to the dark side?"

Dan grinned at that. "Of course, Master. She brought up clips of Yoda, how could I forget that?"

Mara nodded. "Good, now do you remember the key point in that lecture?"

"Negative emotions are the path to the dark side if you allow them to control you," Dan recited from memory. "Anger, fear, jealously, and so on."

"Yes, and do you know which emotion I'm sensing a lot of in you Noslen?" Mara asked knowingly.

"Can we get to the point Master?" Dannard requested wearily, having gone through the motions of impatient apprentice and ever-so-patient Master dozens of times.

"Fine then," Mara said simply, looking directly into his brown eyes. "I sense much fear in you Dan, and you know where that leads. I get that you're concerned for Katerina, but you can't let your attachment to her cloud your judgment, especially at a time where the galaxy needs every Jedi it can get. You need to let go and let the Force guide you."

Dan glanced over at the medbay door, behind which he could sense his best friend. He couldn't envision life without her, even though he knew that it might happen, especially given the events that had transpired today. "How, Master? She's like a sister to me." He met her gaze, a twinkle in his eye. "And before you ask, no, we're not secretly brother and sister separated at birth like Grand Master Skywalker was, Kat had the DNA tested."

"That wasn't my first question no," Mara admitted with a smile.

"We've done nearly everything together," Dan continued, looking back at the medbay. "I mean, how would you handle if someone went after Ben or Grand Master Skywalker?" He paused, realizing the stupidity of his question. "Sorry Master, that was uncalled for." He looked down in shame.

Mara placed a hand on Dan's shoulder, getting the young Knight to look up. "You know what I would do if I had to deal with someone threatening Ben?"

"Probably leave them in pieces from here to Hapes," Dannard said half-jokingly.

Mara chuckled. "You aren't wrong, but that's what any mother would do. As a Jedi, I know that Ben can look after himself now. He has Jacen helping him, and that has been doing wonders. But you can't let that fear of loss control you, or you'd probably end up like Vader did; worse off in so many ways."

"So how am I supposed to let go then?" Dan asked. It was a question he'd asked himself many times.

"For that, you will have to meditate and let the Force guide you to the answer," Mara answered. "I'll help if I ever get some spare time after we find Luke." The Jedi Master paused as she felt a small tremor in the Force from Leia. She glanced over at the operation room, where Leia emerged looking as though she was beyond stressed out. Despite that, there was a small smile on her face. The nearby pacing Chewbacca rumbled a question at her, pausing in his near-frantic striding.

"I'd best let the Doctor explain," Leia answered, in a tone that sounded like she needed some form of good news. On cue, Dr. Kalonia exited the same doorway Leia had just vacated, looking exhausted. The old woman glanced around the hall, taking note of the expectant looks.

"I've done all I can for him," she said wearily. "It's not every day I get to treat lightsaber wounds. Still, war is war, and death comes to us all the same, be it by blaster, lightsaber, or simple old age."

"Will Captain Solo make it?" Mara asked, not amused at how Kalonia was beating around the bush.

"That, my dear, is entirely up to Captain Solo. He's the only one who can decide if he wants to wake up from that coma," Dr. Kalonia explained gently. She smiled ever so slightly. "But if he's as stubborn as all the stories I've heard from Leia say, then he's probably going to survive."

Mara smiled. Finally, some good news. The Jedi Master could taste the relief emanating from Chewbacca as he roared his gratitude, sweeping the old woman into a massive, but gentle Wookiee hug. The Wookiee released Kalonia with another rumble of affection, expressing his gratitude as best as a Wookiee could before making his way over to Leia and giving her a hug as well.

"Yes, Chewie, I know," Leia said as she returned the hug. There was some hope after all, despite the loss of most of the New Republic leadership, despite the rise of the First Order, despite the losses they had suffered in that desperate battle, they were still alive, and as long as the Resistance survived, they had a chance.

"General?" the prissy voice of C-3PO asked, interrupting Chewie's exhilaration. "Excuse me, General?" The protocol droid saw the elated Wookiee. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"What is it Threepio?" Leia asked as she disentangled herself from Chewbacca. Then she saw R2-D2 roll up behind the golden droid. The astromech droid saw Mara and hesitated, his databanks getting some conflicted data, then beeped at both women.

"R2-D2 may contain some much needed good news," C-3PO translated. Artoo beeped a rapid explanation.

"Nice to see you too Artoo," Mara greeted the astromech droid. "What's this news?"

 _ **The New Force Awakens**_

Mara watched R2-D2 take center stage. Somehow he had acquired the rest of the map needed to locate her husband. While they had been off on Starkiller base, Artoo had been examining all the data from the Imperial Archives, no small feat given the trillions of terabytes of data. With a happy beep, the hologram projector on the astromech droid lit up, creating a large three-dimensional navigational chart of the western galaxy. Having remained largely unmapped, Mara figured that it was as good a place to disappear as any in the Outer Rim. The Resistance command, the fighter pilots, everyone who could cram into the command center stood there, watching with baited breath. The news that Luke Skywalker might be returning had been something they'd hardly dared to believe, and yet here they were.

"I knew I'd see that portion of the map before," Mara murmured, remembering her dark days as the Emperor's Hand. She'd once had to remove an unruly Imperial governor on Selvaris and could remember the reassurance Palpatine had given her when she'd brought up the lack of known escape routes in the region. The Jedi Master heard BB-8 beep excitedly behind her and Poe's reassurance. "Just where are you hiding farmboy?"

BB-8 rolled forward, his own projector lighting up and a small section of the starfield appeared. Another roll over into position and BB-8 adjusted his project slightly. The two portions of the navigational chart merged together to form one complete map. The cheer that went around the room echoed throughout the entire base.

"Thank the maker!" Threepio exclaimed. "The map is complete! We'll be reunited with Master Luke soon!"

Leia swayed, nearly overcome with emotion. First the relief that her husband would survive (and she knew full well Han was too stubborn to not wake up from that coma), now her brother's location was at long last known. "Luke…" People were hugging each other in the room, regardless of rank or species. Mara looked at the map, trying to see the name of the planet her own husband was hiding on.

"Ahch-to," Mara noted, "Wonder what it's like." She glanced over and saw Rey looking at the map in wonder. A quick touch with her mind told Mara that Rey was simultaneously happy and scared, excited and nervous. Mara didn't have time to probe further, as she was swept up by the massive fuzzy arms of Chewbacca, who roared his elation at the discovery of Luke. With several roars, Chewie noted how happy Luke would be to see Mara again and that once Han had recovered, the First Order didn't stand a chance. "Easy there Chewie! You won't help Luke if you break my spine!"

Lost amidst all the shouting and celebrations, no one noticed the golden protocol droid place a hand on the dome of the now quiet astromech droid. If anyone had paid any attention to the two droids, they would have heard C-3PO say to R2-D2 a simple statement, though the tone would've made it obvious that the protocol droid was capable of extreme emotions. "Oh my dear friend, how I've missed you."

 **Medbay**

"Sounds like something good has happened," Finn said as Rey entered the operations room. Finn had been getting prepped for surgery, as the crossguard of Kylo Ren's lightsaber had all but split Finn's hand and wrist in two. The former First Order stormtrooper was cradling his nearly useless hand, holding it still so as to minimize the pain. The hand was savable, but they were going to need to operate soon. Han Solo's medbunk was next to Finn's, and both could see the old smuggler, dressed in hospital wear. His chest was moving up and down ever so slightly, the slow beep of the heart monitor the only other indication he was alive.

"You could say that," Rey began. She had gratefully accepted Leia's offer of a change of clothes, shedding the rags of Jakku for clothing that was much more comfortable. "We have the map to Luke Skywalker. All of it."

Finn's mouth dropped. "Are you serious?!" Rey nodded. "You're not pulling my leg, are you?" Rey shook her head with a smile. Finn matched her smile, unable to hold back a laugh. "This is amazing! We're going to meet Luke Skywalker!"

"I'm afraid that'll have to wait," Dr. Kalonia said gently as she entered the medical ward. "We still have a hand to save. Are you ready Finn?"

"I guess so Doc," Finn replied, a little less happiness in his tone. But he brightened up quickly. "Still, you're going to meet Luke Skywalker!"

"And I have you to thank for that," Rey replied, surprising the former stormtrooper with a hug. It was a gentle hug, so as not to cause pain in his arm, but there was so much tender feelings in that hug, Finn was left unable to speak. "Don't worry, we'll see each other again. I promise. But I wasn't going to leave without saying thank you. So, thank you my friend."

Finn tried to find the best words to respond to that. Failing miserably, he just said "You're welcome." With that, Rey broke the hug and left the medbay, one last lingering glance at Finn before Dr. Kalonia began the surgery. A blue-skinned male Twi'lek brushed past Rey, obscuring her view of her friend and Rey left, preparing to meet family long thought lost.

 **Resistance Hanger**

Mara Jade Skywalker finished prepping the _Jade Shadow_ for launch, R2-D2 rolling around happily in her ship, eager to find Luke again. Her personal ship didn't need much prep, having learned the lesson of quick pre-flight work time and time again. Lando had spared no expense in ensuring the _Jade Shadow_ was top of the line. Mara wondered what had become of the smuggler-turned-businessman in this dimension before R2-D2 beeped a question at her.

"Chewie's staying behind with Han," Mara explained. "Leia's going to try and organize what's left of the New Republic, Threepio helping her as any protocol droid should. Dan and Cat are going to help the Resistance however they can. This is something Rey and I have to do."

Another inquisitive string of beeps and whistles. "Yes, it's a Skywalker family reunion of sorts." More beeps. "Yes Artoo, you're a part of the family as well. I'm sure farmboy will be more than happy to see you as well."

"What if he doesn't remember me?" Rey asked, standing in the hatch of the _Jade Shadow_.

Mara looked over her, noting a proud Leia standing about twenty yards away from the hatch. Several of the Resistance fighters, ground troops and fighter pilots alike, were gathered to watch what was effectively the galaxy's last hope fly off. "Rey, you can't let such a silly little fear get to you. Luke hid you on Jakku for a reason. He better have a damn good one, too, because from what little I've seen of it, it's not a good place to hide a child."

"Don't I know it," Rey muttered, not quietly enough for Mara to miss. The Jedi Master placed a comforting hand on Rey's shoulder.

"Whatever the reason, we need to find Luke and bring him home," Mara said. She held up the lightsaber of Anakin Skywalker from this dimension. "Rey, I want you to give this to him when we find him."

"Why can't you?"

"Because that lightsaber is his," Mara answered. She indicated the one on her hip. "I already have mine. Now come on, it's time I show you the family ship."

Outside the _Jade Shadow_ , cheers went up as the Sorosuub Star Yacht rose into the air, heading for space. Leia watched the _Jade Shadow_ until it was out of sight, a tear in her eye. "May the Force be with you Mara. Bring Luke back."

Dan watched as well, silent. He had resolved to redouble his training, in order to be better prepared the next time he had to face a dark sider. The young Jedi glanced at Katerina next to him, who was clenching and unclenching her new hand, still getting used to the mechanical appendage. He wasn't going to let that happen again.

 **Ahch-to**

The journey through hyperspace had been uneventful. Mara had been very impressed with how quickly her dimensional daughter had taken to the _Jade Shadow_ , as if she had been born to fly it. Most of the journey had been the two going over the finer points of the _Jade Shadow_ , with Rey seemingly focusing on the mechanical aspects. When Mara had brought up the Force-locked hatch, Rey had quickly changed the focus to the engines. Now they were coming out of hyperspace, and Mara let Rey pull back on the lever. The world that appeared before them was a deep blue, with scattered freckles of green across the oceanic world.

"So much water…" Rey breathed as the blue swelled to fill the viewport. Mara let that go, focusing her mind towards the planet below. The Force called to her, as she reached out, guiding her towards one of the larger islands near the equator. Flying creatures with wings of white soared next to them as Mara slowed their descent, swooping through the clouds and landing on what looked to be an ancient landing pad, made entirely of stone. Several stone steps led away from the landing pad, towards the peak of the island mountain. R2-D2 whistled nervously.

"Come on Rey," Mara said simply. "Artoo, stay with the ship. We'll bring Luke back before the sun sets." With that, the two women exited the _Jade Shadow_. Rey in her new clothes, with her old staff strapped to her back and travel pouch on her hip. Mara Jade Skywalker, in her black 'working' outfit, lightsaber on her hip and black travel cloak around her shoulders. There was a slight nip in the air, enough to make Rey shiver, unaccustomed as she was to cooler climates. It was a beautiful day on Ahch-to.

The journey was long, and Mara welcomed it. It gave her time to think. No words were spoken, by Rey or Mara. They could both sense the power this place held. She could also feel the faint tinges of her husband near the peak, but he had withdrawn from the Force as soon as Mara had brushed his presence, as though stung. Mara was not encouraged, but remained resolute. Despite calling on the Force to sooth her stinging calves, the Jedi Master did not call for a break. Neither did Rey. Both strode along, taking each step one at a time. They were so close. They passed several modest primitive structures, made of stones carved from the islands. The only signs of life within the structures were several skittering creatures, rodents of some kind, and not what they were looking for. Mara could sense her husband's presence. He had been living here for quite some time. What, she could not know. Then, they were there. The top of the mountain. A clearing separated them from a lone figure, shrouded in a cloak. He stood at the edge of a cliff, overlooking the sea and the _Jade Shadow_ far below. A small tombstone stood in front of him, a reminder of the past. Mara could feel the sorrow, the regret, the grief rolling off him. This must have been where she had been buried. It was weird to feel an echo of her own Force signature.

"Go to him," Mara whispered. The Force was telling her to hang back for the moment. So she stood, five yards behind Rey as the young woman approached. Finally acknowledging their presence, the figure turned. Luke Skywalker beheld Rey in his haunted blue eyes. Mara's heart went out to Luke as he pulled off his hood. His beard and his hair were white, a reminder of how things had changed for the worse. The synthflesh that had once covered his mechanical hand was gone, worn away by the sands of time. The Jedi Master could see that Luke had become much like his old mentor, Ben Kenobi; a lone Jedi in exile with nothing but the memories of his failures to keep him company. This might be a bit more difficult than she had anticipated.

No words were spoken. No words were needed. Luke gazed at his daughter, all grown up. She'd been so young when last he'd seen her. He saw the mane of red hair on the woman behind him. Perhaps the Force was granting him one last look at his wife, at what she could have been had things not gone so terribly wrong. She felt so achingly real, so heart-wrenchingly alive. Rey reached into her pack, what for Luke could not guess. Then she brought out the lightsaber, the one that had started his journey so long ago. Luke stared at it, feeling the Force telling him that it was an offer. A plea. The galaxy's only hope. A single tear fell from Luke's eye, lost in his beard.

Rey could only wonder what was going to happen next.

 **I really hope I did this ending justice. Do not fear, I will work on continuing this story in the meantime. I have an idea of what happens next, canon or non-canon. You'll see another chapter or five from me before The Last Jedi hits theaters. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Response to Guest Reviews (In order with which they reviewed)**

 **CG: I will not be too broken up about them ending the Skywalker story in IX. There's so much of Star Wars that remains to be explored, the Skywalkers only take up a small piece in galactic history. With it looking more and more like Mara is getting thrown to the wayside they dubbed legends, well, I don't know to be honest. Mara's my favorite character from the EU (obviously), I don't know how well I'd take to a Star Wars future without Mara to be perfectly honest. And yes, Trials of the Darksaber was an entertaining episode. And try not to spoil any more movies for me. I figured that Jyn was going to die, but I figured there was a small chance she could have survived. So please, I try not to spoil stuff for other fans, don't spoil it for me.**

 **Revan Knight: I suppose my homages were a tad obvious, but hey, it's entertainment either way, right? And yes, we'll see more of the Skywalker family reunion soon.**

 **Denz-El: Rogue One was a very good movie, I will not deny that. Was it a bit of a nostalgia fest? Yeah, I mean, it's episode 3.99 for all intents and purposes, of course it's going to have more OT material than PT, but it was still a pretty good movie. Jyn didn't seem to be Luke's type either. God bless my friend!**

 **Sir CiCi: Of course she did. Luckily for Kylo, there was no lava river to fall into, and he only lost two limbs. Glad you enjoyed it, lol, but do not worry, Kylo Ren will be back and depending on the events of episode 8, be back with a vengeance. As for Mara's former apprentices/new Knights she brought with her, Kat has a purple blade, Dan has one green and one blue blade.**

 **I'm sorry if this feels short for you, I spend quite a lot of time on these chapters. I want to get the Star Wars story just right, so more often than not I end up typing a paragraph and deleting it because I'm not satisfied. I estimate I spent about 45 hours on this chapter, trying to get it just right in my opinion. I know, if only I could be both speedy and maintain a high quality, I'd love to be able to push out a chapter a week. I wish I could spend every waking hour working on fanfictions. But I can't. I have school. I have work. I have apartment bills to pay. I want to maintain something of a social life. Life loves to interfere with my writing. But you have my word that I will not leave a story unfinished.**

 **Guest: Well, I hope I didn't disappoint.**

 **My apologies to those with accounts that I didn't reply to, as fanfiction has acted up and refuses to allow me to respond to those reviews. And I was a bit too lazy to just set up a separate PM thread. I'm not ignoring you, I promise!**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review, as I welcome any and all constructive criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve. Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **Follow me on Twitter, at nuttybuddy792, for more content and interactions.**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


	14. The Last Jedi

**Good evening everybody, your Nutty Buddy has been working his ass off throughout this semester. I tried to have this done by May the Fourth, but alas, school had other plans. I wanted to make sure this chapter felt right in terms of it having that Star Wars feel, instead of rushing it. So, instead of getting it done by Star Wars Day, or Revenge of the Fifth, or Return of the Sixth, or even the Seventh Awakens (yes, I'm making it up now), I have it done on the last possible day of celebrating Star Wars, The Last Eighth.**

 **...**

 **Yeah, that's bad. Sorry for the delay. Here's the next chapter.**

 **Luke Skywalker: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars and all its affiliates are all owned by Disney, Lucasfilm, and George Lucas. Please support the official release!**

 **Chapter 14: The Last Jedi**

"Where did you get that?" His voice was coarse, as raspy as one who hadn't spoken to another sentient being in years. Luke Skywalker sounded older than he appeared, and he appeared pretty old. His weathered piercing blue eyes met her brown ones, a haunted countenance upon his features.

Rey blinked first as she looked up at this living legend. It was only a few days ago that she had thought him a mere myth, now here he was, along with her mother standing behind her, and yet something felt off. He had glanced over her shoulder at Mara, and instead of smiling like she'd expected him to, as she expected anyone who met their wife after Force knows how many years, he'd flinched instead. That was the first warning flag. The second was his tone. He didn't sound happy that she was here. Skywalker didn't sound angry either. He sounded… broken. Tired. Finished. Deciding to take charge, she answered the question as best she could. "Maz Kanata had it in her castle." She continued to hold the lightsaber up, offering it to Luke Skywalker, her father. "It called to me."

"You didn't have to listen to it," Luke said bitterly, turning away. He glanced back. "Can you see her?"

Rey blinked. "What?"

"Can you see that woman standing behind you?" Luke asked, convinced that the Force was taunting him now as the older Mara vision remained, looking increasingly agitated.

"Of course I can see her!" Rey said indignantly. "Why wouldn't I be able to see Mother?"

"She's dead," Luke answered, another tear slipping from his eye. It obviously pained him to say that. "Been dead for years."

Mara finally decided to speak. "I'm not dead Farmboy." She stepped forward, drawing level with Rey. "But a lot has happened since you've disappeared. Come with us back to the Ileenium system. Come back to the New Republic Luke. We need you."

Luke's face was impassive. Through the Force, Mara could sense him reach out, gently touching her mind. She didn't resist, allowing him to prod her memories. She didn't want her husband, even an alternate dimensional version of her husband, to suffer any longer. She thought back to when she first met Luke in person. Oh sure, she'd seen the holos as the Emperor's Hand, from the Empire's wanted posters to Alliance propaganda vids, but because Jabba had barred her from the Sail Barge on that fateful day, Mara hadn't met him until years later. She recalled Thrawn and Karrde and Lando and the Dark Force battle and everything that had brought her to the side of the New Republic. Curious, Luke pressed onwards through the memories, which Mara allowed. At the sight of the twins, Mara could feel Luke recoil mentally, stunned at the mere concept. Unbidden, Mara's thoughts turned to Ben, her Ben, and Luke sensed it. He got a glimpse of his son, of the Jedi that he was on his path to becoming and pulled out. Mara blinked as she found an ignited green lightsaber at her throat.

"Who are you?!" Luke Skywalker demanded, glaring at her. It hurt Mara to see her husband look at her with such distrust. The Luke she had known would've been willing to listen without bringing out his saber. Then again, she had never seen him this…hurt before. Even during the height of the Vong war, Luke had managed to maintain a bright outlook on the world. This Luke didn't seem quite so optimistic. He seemed to be in agony at the thought of having a son. Or maybe it was that it wasn't his Mara he was probing, despite the near-identical nature of their Force signatures. "What are you?!"

"What do you mean 'who are you?'" Rey interjected, moving to step between Luke and Mara. "That's Mother!"

"No it's not," Luke snapped, using his mechanical hand to hold Rey back. He glanced at her sadly as he closed down his lightsaber, replaced it on his hip, and placed his left hand on her shoulder. "Rey, I'm sorry I have to do this, but you won't see otherwise."

"What are you-" Rey began before Luke placed two mechanical fingers on Rey's forehead. Rey gasped as a barrier within her mind was removed and a flood of memories came rushing in.

 _Rey was a mere six years old, on a planet as green as the one as her current self was standing, but that was irrelevant. She was running, as it was chaos. The building she had fled, a temple of old, was burning. It was under attack by bad guys, that was all she knew, and her father had told her to find her mother. He was right behind her, fending off attacks from bad guys in white armor. This First Order, something Aunt Leia had been warning about for a few years now, was attacking Luke and his Jedi Order. She was sure that they were going to beat those bad guys, but her father was serious, so she had to be serious too._

 _"Momma!" Rey shouted, running towards the clearing where they would usually train. She wasn't working on a lightsaber yet, but she would go through the motions with Luke, imitating the training katas. She could see the black clothes of her mother in the clearing, and she was talking with cousin Ben, who was dressed in similarly dark clothing, albeit more suitable for combat than what he normally wore. Mara turned at the sound of Rey's cry, smiling reassuringly at her daughter. Ben put on a mask, much to Rey's curiosity. There was the sound of blaster fire and Rey ducked on instinct, hearing the booted footsteps of the bad guys as they approached. Several black robed figures stepped out of the trees, holding weaponry of various kinds. Rey looked up and met her mother's gaze, getting another reassuring smile before there was a snap-crackle-hiss of a lightsaber and the red blade was protruding from her mother's chest._

 _"NOOOOOOOO!" Rey heard the anguished scream of her father and heard another scream, the scream of a little girl. A few seconds passed before she realized it was her when she had to take a breath. Mara sank to her knees, a mixture of sadness and anger on her face, thought more regret than anything else, as the light dimmed in her green eyes. Rey tried to catch her mother as she fell forward, but couldn't support Mara's weight until Luke came. Luke held the two of them for a moment, and Rey could feel the Force pulsing with grief._

 _"Rey, I want you to run to the transport," her father said, his voice deadly calm. Rey had never heard him speak like that before._

 _"What about mother?" Rey didn't want to say the bad words._

 _"I'll take care of her," Luke said. "Just go. Don't look back. I'll be there as soon as I can." There was the snap-hiss of his green lightsaber as he stood up. Rey was scared, but she did as her father commanded, running, running, running, until darkness overtook her vision_ and she was back on the cliffside, held up by her father, who was holding the green lightsaber that was now familiar to her memory.

"Now, who are you?" Luke demanded, meeting Mara's gaze. "You look like her, you even feel like her, but you're not my Mara! Are you a clone? Some First Order experiment to seek me out?"

Mara was stung. To hear her husband throw that at her hurt. The wife part of her wanted to give Luke what for, but the Jedi Master part knew better. She had to defuse the situation quickly. Confusion permeated through the Force, from both Luke and Rey, though Rey was rapidly approaching anger. Anger at the deception, anger at being 'lied' to, but mostly anger at having thought she could be a part of a family again. "I'm not a clone, and I certainly don't have any affiliation with the First Order. I promise I'll explain everything, just put the lightsaber away."

Luke met her gaze, icy blue eyes boring into fierce green. For a moment, everyone was frozen. The three humans on top of the mountain, the only sounds being the crash of the waves down below and the caw of the white feathered birds floating lazily on the thermals above, blissfully unaware of the significance of the meeting.

"Start talking," Luke said finally, extinguishing his lightsaber. There was an edge to his voice, an edge caused by emotional pain.

Mara could practically taste it, even without using the Force. And so she began, way back at the beginning. "It all started back in the time of the Empire…"

 **Ileenium System, Planet D'Qar**

General Leia Organa was a busy woman. With the destruction of the Hosnian system and the subsequent destruction of Starkiller Base, she had been talking almost non-stop to Senators who had been away from the Hosnian system at the time of its destruction and planetary leaders who were asking what had happened to their Senators. Populists and Centralists alike, although there were far fewer Centralists calling than Populists, probably since most of the Centralist planets were seceding from the New Republic and joining the First Order. It was the Galactic Civil War all over again, except there was no clone army from Kamino or Arkania forthcoming. Not that Leia would ever commission a clone army. War was too personal to just send clones or droids to do your own dirty work. However, these were desperate times, as the divide between the New Republic's remnants and the rising First Order meant Leia's standards were probably going to be put to the test. At least, if what a General from the Rebellion days said was true. That was where she was going to send her and one of the new Jedi Mara had brought with her, in the hopes of fostering an alliance. They were going to need all the help they could get.

"General Organa?" the voice of Dannard Noslen said as he entered the command center. The other Jedi, Katerina, was visiting Dr Cham'ra and testing her new mechanical limb. "You wanted to see me?" He looked eager to prove himself in Leia's eyes, much like Luke had been back on Hoth, when he was still idealistic about most things in the galaxy. She also noted Lieutenant Connix give him a curious glance.

"The General will brief you on your mission when the other General arrives," she told him bluntly.

"We will need allies," Leia said gently, passing a curious thought as to Connix's demeanor. Dismissing it as the stress of running the Resistance, she focused on the task at hand. "And there are plenty of people in the galaxy ready to help, provided we ask. So that is why I'm sending you to Agamar, in part to keep our envoy safe and to help get you better known within our forces."

"So who's this envoy slash general?" Dannard asked.

"That would be me," came the smooth female voice. He glanced over to see a green-skinned Twi'lek female who appeared to be approaching her sixties. Dan knew Twi'leks aged relatively well (at least the females did, better than most species), but this one gave off an aura of one who looked her age. She wore a tight orange jumpsuit and a pair of flight goggles sat on her forehead. A C1-series astromech droid rolled along behind her, purring as it took in the base. The Twi'lek extended a brown gloved hand. "Hera Syndulla." Dan took her hand and shook it as she glanced at Leia. "So this is the Jedi you told me about?"

Leia nodded. "One of them. He's going to accompany you and your crew aboard the _Ghost_ to Agamar and hopefully you can convince them to join."

Hera nodded. "I know Kalani is going to take some convincing, but I'm sure we'll bring him in." Her green eyes moistened a little at a memory. "It'll be nice to have a Jedi on the _Ghost_ again."

Dan's curiosity was aroused. "Again? Who was on it before?"

"I'll tell you on the way to Agamar. Chopper, you go on ahead and prep the _Ghost_ for takeoff," Hera ordered. Leia watched them leave, glad that one more task was scratched off the ever growing list of things to do to save the galaxy.

"Was it really necessary to send the Jedi?" Connix asked. "He'd be better used on the front."

"Trust me Lieutenant," Leia said, giving her a knowing look. "As Han would tell me often, sometimes you just have to go with your gut. I honestly don't know if it's my gut or the Force, but I just know he needs to go on this mission."

"By your leave," the young Lieutenant said, leaving Leia's side to continue her duties. Leia watched her go, her mind already focusing on evacuation plans. The First Order had found their base, and if it hadn't been for the timely intervention of Han, Mara, and their brave pilots, the Ileenium System wouldn't be around any more. It was time to find a new base. With nearly half the Core Worlds going over to the First Order, it seemed unlikely they would safely reestablish Coruscant as the new capital. It would probably have to be another planet in the Outer Rim, just like in the Rebellion days. Maybe Hirara in the Five Points system, or Christophsis. Nobody went to Christophsis, not since the Clone Wars. She could remember a relief effort she'd led to that planet during the early days of the New Republic to try and help the system recover from the impossible to meet quotas the Empire had placed on ore mining that was the primary export of that system. Perhaps Murkhana would work too. Leia resolved to sit down with Admiral Ackbar and plot out that course of action soon, as they only had so much time before the First Order retaliated, much like the Empire had when they were based on Yavin IV. With a semi-weary sigh, she got back to work, as there was much to do and so little time.

 **Ahch-to**

"And maybe I'm not the Mara you knew, but the Resistance really needs you Luke," Mara finished. "That's why Rey and I came here. To bring you home."

Luke looked back at Mara Jade. His eyes appeared to be on her, but Mara knew that he was looking with his mind into the Force. What he was looking for, probably clarity if Mara had to guess, he hadn't found, but the silence was deafening. Mara closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink into the Force. It was a lot more tumultuous in this dimension, as the dark side was much more disruptive here. Despite that, Mara found it as easy to sink into as always. She hadn't studied as many techniques as Luke had, such as future sight, but it was soothing nonetheless. Luke's next words were quiet, his voice the product of years in solitude.

"I can't help you."

Mara took a second to digest that, taking a deep breath. So Luke had placed the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders again. Wonderful. "Why not?"

"Because I'm not the man you think I am."

"You're Luke Skywalker!" Rey pointed out. "My father!"

"And I'm sorry you had to be so disappointed," he replied bitterly.

Rey persisted. "You're a war hero!"

The last Jedi of this dimension's eyes glazed over as he replied automatically "Wars do not make one great." He blinked and turned his gaze towards both women. "I fought for years and tried to rebuild an entire Order. What do I have to show for it? Nothing!"

"The galaxy needs you Farmboy," Mara pointed out.

"The galaxy is getting along fine without me."

"Luke Skywalker," Mara began, allowing a hint of anger to creep into her tone. What was it about Solos and Skywalkers that made them so damn stubborn?! "I married you for several reasons, one of them being your farmboy insistence that everything was going to end up good in the end, no matter how bleak. Now you're telling me that you're just giving up because you were betrayed?"

"Betrayed by my own nephew," Luke murmured. "Do you know what I did after Ben killed your counterpart?"

Mara shook her head. "All I know is that the Knights of Ren are responsible for the destruction of your new Jedi Order."

"Yes, well, there aren't many Knights of Ren left," Luke said bitterly. "I killed those I could, I crippled those I couldn't, and I fought my nephew. I didn't know it was Ben at the time, but I fought him. I had disarmed him and had him ready for the killing blow." His voice cracked as he reached the next part of his tale. "I ripped off his mask, intent on savoring the look of fear on his face, and I saw my nephew! I wanted him to suffer, and yet I couldn't! He'd killed my wife, and I couldn't strike the final blow." Tears were flowing freely from Luke now and he shuddered with sobs as he recalled that fateful day. "I had just killed several of my students, and all because they felt I was going too soft with my teachings. Because I wanted to practice love and patience, creating a new Jedi Order that would eventually surpass the old Order! I wanted to make the galaxy a better place, and instead I've made it worse!"

Mara met Rey's gaze. This was worse than she'd feared. Luke continued, letting it out for the first time in over a decade. "It's my fault that the galaxy is as it is. If I'd been a better teacher, they wouldn't be dead! YOU wouldn't be dead! Every night I can see your eyes stare at me in my dreams, haunting me, begging me, pleading with me to save you, but I couldn't! I hear your cry in the wind! Nothing can ever make up for my failure. So I came here." Luke Skywalker looked up, eyes a little red from crying. "I came here to die."

"You and I both know that's not true," Mara said quickly, alarmed. And yet, there was a sliver of hope. "You wouldn't be alive, waiting for us if you truly wanted to die."

"I'm too much of a coward to kill myself," Luke retorted.

"That's not it," Mara began, stepping towards Luke. "You didn't give up hope. Sure, you dumped your daughter on a backwater desert world with no guarantee of her survival, wiping her memories and abandoned the rest of your family to come here." She indicated the mountain they were standing on. "What's so special about this place anyway?"

Luke looked at her. He had so many regrets, and yet somehow the Force was giving him a chance. Or maybe it was simply tormenting him, bringing this Mara that wasn't Mara into his life, teasing him with what he could have had had events played out differently. His faith in the Force had been all but shattered. Still, perhaps… "We're standing on the remains of the first Jedi Temple."

Mara paused, realizing the sheer significance of that statement. Much of the old Jedi Order's history had been lost during the Jedi purge, due to Palpatine's attempted eradication of the Order. Tried as they had, they had been unable to locate the beginning of the Order's history, so this was a monumental revelation. Still, that only partially explained why he had come here. "So you came to the first Jedi Temple to die. Out of all the places to go out in the galaxy, why here?"

"Because I don't want to become one with the Force," Luke replied bitterly. "I hoped to find a way to die and never have to feel again, to escape into the black nothingness of death. I don't want that pain of eternal life."

"Then why leave a map," Rey interrupted, "If this was supposed to be a one-way trip?"

The last Jedi shrugged. "I haven't found the solution yet."

"That's a load of Sithspit and you know it," Mara snapped. Obviously, sympathy wasn't going to work. Time for some tough love. "Luke Skywalker, you are the galaxy's hero! You've saved countless lives, saved planets from complete annihilation, helped establish a government that promoted freedom and justice! Rey was wrong when she said you were a war hero. You're so much more than a war hero! You are a symbol, a symbol of the New Republic! People will rally to you! You are the last Jedi and you want to let the Order die?" Luke simply turned away, so Mara decided to throw one more dagger. "If I had known you were going to end up like this without me, I might not have married you in the first place!"

His head turned so fast Mara feared he'd get whiplash. The stunned look of horror on his face said it all. She'd touched the nerve she didn't want to touch. "You're not my Mara!"

"And you're not my Luke," Mara shot back, "That doesn't mean a karking thing! Do you think your Mara would want you here, moping about like a youngling who spilled his blue milk?!"

"That's not-" Luke began, but Mara cut him off.

"You are the last of the Jedi here," Mara continued. "There is a tyrannical new regime on the rise, looking to enslave the galaxy to the dark side once again. Are you really going to let the galaxy burn just because you can't get over the fact that you couldn't save me?"

Luke turned away. "I've already lost everything. I know there's only more pain, more regret, more agony ahead if I were to leave."

Mara was running through several mental techniques to keep herself from losing her cool. He was hurt, and her barbed words weren't helping in that regard. He just needed time. She could sense it. Patience, the Force was telling her. It was Rey who broke the silence. "Father, please, you're only going to feel more pain staying here than coming home. The galaxy needs you. Aunt Leia needs you! I need you! Please, Father!"

Luke said nothing, instead trudging off towards a cave. He paused, deciding to get one last line in. "The legend that is Luke Skywalker is dead. You can carry on without me." He continued into the cave, disappearing into the darkness. The two women shared a glance.

"That could've gone better," Rey said flatly.

"We're getting through to him," Mara noted. "He just needs a little time to take this all in."

Rey narrowed her eyes. "So do I. Why did you lie to me?"

Mara sighed as she pinched the brow of her nose. "This dimensional travel is complicated. Just imagine yourself in a universe where you can feel people who are nearly identical in every way to the one you knew, but at the same time, they aren't. Rey, you are like my son in many regards. Yet I know you're your own person. When Kylo Ren attacked you, it felt like my son was being attacked. I may not be your actual mother Rey, but I hope that I can do as well as this dimension's Mara did for you."

Rey seemed to consider that. As a scavenger, she had little time for trusting others. Trust the wrong person, especially one who had deceived you before, and you'd end up spending the night hungry, or worse. She'd seen it happen to others in the deserts of Jakku. Deciding to change the subject, she held up the lightsaber she had offered to Luke. "Do you want this?"

"It's yours now Rey," Mara said simply. "I have a feeling you're going to need it."

The Jakku scavenger nodded and return it to her pouch. "Luke said this was the first Jedi Temple. Do you think there's something we could find here?"

Mara nodded in approval of the idea, even if it was obvious Rey was using it as an opportunity to get some space. "Perhaps we'll make more sense of it than Luke did. Later I can begin instructing you on how to harness the Force and what it can offer you."

"Later," Rey repeated. She strode off, leaving Mara alone on the mountaintop. Mara watched her go, mind ablaze with how she was going to navigate this asteroid field of emotions. Luke's spirit had been broken, and it looked like it would be up to Rey to put it back together again. Then there was the matter of helping Rey to master her growing Force abilities. It looked like this trip was going to take a few days longer than expected.

Her commlink beeped and Mara picked it up, getting the inquisitive whistles of R2-D2. "We found Luke, but he's had it rough." Another whistle. "There's no room to bring the _Jade Shadow_ up here, and you can't get up those steps alone. Just stay with the ship, I'll try to bring Luke to you soon." More beeps and whistles. "Yes, I'm sure your message is important to getting him out of this funk, but it's pretty delicate up here. We can do this, we just need a bit of patience. Mara out." She closed off the commlink, looking towards the cave Luke had disappeared into. No time like the present.

 **First Order Resurgent-class Star Destroyer** _ **Finalizer**_

Kylo Ren knelt before the hologram of Supreme Leader Snoke, unconsciously clenching his new left hand. The surgery had been swift and painful, and his face still hadn't stopped stinging from Mara's blow. But he had never felt better, as that pain fueled him, allowing the dark side to grow. Snoke had already given him instruction on how to strengthen himself through his pain. Now it was time for his next lesson.

"Gooooood," Snoke breathed as he felt Kylo Ren's Force presence through the many light-years of space. "You have made your pain your ally. But there is still work to be done. I am sending you another Knight. You are to instruct her as I am instructing you."

"Yes, Supreme Leader," Ren said. "Who is she?"

"Tave Ren," Snoke replied. "A student who shows potential, provided she gets the right instruction. Do not fail me Kylo, or I shall revoke your title as Master of the Knights of Ren."

"Understood, Supreme Leader." Kylo said.

"I will also be sending Khai Ren to the Agamar system," Snoke informed his apprentice. "We will need to cut off any possible allies of the Resistance before they can be united against us. See to it that you crush any Resistance stronghold you can find, starting with the Ileenium system. We may have lost Starkiller base, but the fleet will be more than sufficient to wipe them out."

"As you command," Kylo Ren acquiesced. He opened his eyes, flecks of yellow in his eyes as he let the dark side flow through him. "Shall we begin the training?"

Snoke nodded. "We shall."

 **So, I'm branching off from the main canon. I've seen the Last Jedi trailer, I've seen the supposed leaks, I'm going to do my best to capture the Star Wars story while staying as loyal to the canon materials that I have access to now. As you probably noticed, I took elements from Bloodlines, the Leia novel released recently, as well as other new materials. Points to those who can guess who the two new Knights of Ren are. The hints are in the names. And yes, I brought Hera into this. I don't know about the rest of the Rebels cast, but that's dependent on the events of Season Four. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Response to Guest Reviews (in order with which they reviewed):**

 **CG: There's so much Old Republic materials that could be used, as it doesn't contradict the movies in any way, so there's hope. I'm hearing about petitions to put an Old Republic series on Netflix, so if there's that, go sign it people!**

 **Revan Knight: Glad you enjoyed it, I'm going to do my best with how I feel the story should continue. I'll welcome ideas from other people, so if you have any ideas floating around, I'll listen. I'll use canon material where I can, as well as events from XIII when it comes out, but in the meantime, I'll do my best to keep the story on course.**

 **Guest: Hope you enjoy this chapter**

 **Denz-El: Well, we all had to start somewhere as a writer, so don't be afraid to give the proper story writing a try. If you have some awesome ideas (like an earlier review you mentioned Rey possibly going to the EU), why not give them a shot? As for Anakin's Force ghost, I toyed with the idea of bringing it here, but it needs to be done right. It needs to have that weight behind it. As for Mara being Phasma…I'll have to get back to you on that one.**

 **CG (again): Kenobi vs Maul Final Round was perfect. It was like the samurai fights of old, as well as rich with symbolism. It showed what Obi-Wan had risen above, as well as how far Maul had fallen, but I doubt we'll see Kenobi again in Rebels. His task of protecting Luke is too important for anything else.**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review as I welcome any and all constructive criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve. Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **Follow me on Twitter, at nuttybuddy792 for more content and interactions. I will respond to anything y'all tweet at me, so don't be shy.**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


	15. Ghosts of the Past

**Good evening everybody, how'd y'all enjoy that second trailer last night? I've been super busy what with working two jobs to pay for my 16 credit high level math class semester, I'm really glad I got this done. Will I have time to get one more chapter out before TLJ comes out? Maybe, it depends on how the semester goes. I'll be honest, I didn't think I'd get this far when I started this fic a while ago. Thank you all for your support through all this!**

 **Rey: The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars and all its affiliates are all owned by Disney, Lucasfilm, and George Lucas. Please support the official release!**

 **Chapter 15: Ghosts of the Past**

 **Ahch-to**

Mara stood at the spot where they had found her husband a few hours ago, looking out over the vast ocean. Patience had never been her strong suit. Sure, it had been drilled into her during her time as the Hand, and later on during the Jedi teachings from her husband, but there was always a part of Mara that wanted to be doing something, anything really. But Luke wasn't ready to face her yet and Rey was exploring the catacombs of the temple, having indicated that she desired to remain alone for a while. Mara couldn't blame her, really, not after all she had been through the past couple of days. From scavenging on Jakku to suddenly finding out you have Jedi Masters as parents and traveling around the galaxy, Mara could understand just how much of a shock it could be. It was about as jarring as when  
Palpatine died, or at least that was the closest analogy Mara could make.

Her attention was drawn to the little tombstone near the edge of the cliff, one her husband had been standing guard over for several years. It wasn't anything special, but etched into it were four letters of Galactic Basic: Jade. A part of her was touched by the memorial, though if it was holding Luke back from joining the Resistance, Mara didn't want to think about it. This was going to be complicated. She was a fighter, and she'd always craved a challenge, but right now she had little clue how to go about solving this conundrum. Rey was exploring the island and was apparently at the entrance to the Temple about a kilometer away. Luke was in his little hut, though what he was doing wasn't apparent to Mara as he had shut himself off from her Force senses and as such she could only detect his location and not his intentions.

With nothing better to do than pass the time until Luke decided to emerge or Rey was done exploring, Mara decided to meditate. It would allow her a better feel for how crazy things were in this dimension, and perhaps with this being the remains of the first Jedi Temple she could get a connection to the Order's past. The Jedi Master wasn't sure what to expect, but it was something to do. Mara sat on the cliffside, assuming the usual mediation pose. Her mind cast out into the Force, searching, feeling, letting it flow through her. Despite the turmoil caused by the dark side being much stronger in this dimension than hers, the Force was the one constant that was reassuring for Mara. With that in mind, she took a deep breath, sinking deeper into the Force with each breath. The Jedi Master could feel the tug in the current of the Force, pulling her towards the past. She let it take her along, wondering just what it was the Force was going to show her. Then the visions began.

She saw an Utapaun male with a dual-bladed lightsaber fighting a male Jedi Knight and his apprentice in a Star Destroyer engine room. The Utapaun flung his spinning double saber at the apprentice, knocking him off the catwalk, much to the dismay of the Jedi.

She saw old Obi-Wan Kenobi parry a strike from the Sith Lord Darth Maul on Tatooine, striking like a viper through Maul's defense and cutting open his chest. Kenobi caught the Sith Lord as he fell, whispering words to him that Mara couldn't hear.

She saw one of the Imperial information planets, Scarif if she remembered correctly, under attack by the Rebel Alliance, the Death Star hovering like a menace over the planet. Curious, Mara watched the Death Star vaporize the data station on the planet. She'd never heard about this from Palpatine, and Palpatine shared nearly everything with her, except the news about the other Emperor's Hands which had come as an unfortunate revelation from Thrawn. Mara observed Vader board one of the Rebel ships, slaughtering all in his path as he demanded the Death Star plans from the one Rebel he left alive, but when that Rebel refused, Vader beheaded the man. She watched the _Tantive IV_ escape the Mon Calamari cruiser and leave the system in a hurry.

She saw the wedding of Leia and Han, much more subdued than she remembered. Did the Hapes Consortium even exist in this dimension? Without Prince Isolder asking for Leia's hand in marriage, Mara figured that Han had been much bolder then.

She saw the formation of the New Republic on Hosnia Prime, thousands of Senators applauding Mon Mothma as she finished her speech about bringing freedom and justice back into the galaxy.

She saw Luke lecturing a group of prospective Jedi in front of a temple, on which planet she couldn't identify. Mara's heart sank as she saw some familiar faces. Saba Sebatyne. Corran Horn. Kenth Hamner. Herself. So much younger than when she'd last seen them. Then Ben Solo appeared. He shone brightly, as though embracing the light side before darkness slowly overcame him. A wave of darkness spread out from Solo, and Mara could do nothing but watch as the wave began to move over Luke's students. Most were consumed by flames as the darkness bore down on them, but some few appeared to embrace the darkness, joining Ben as they spread the darkness over Luke's order. Distraught and broken, Luke fled, taking the last of the light with him as his Mara too sank into the darkness, joined by Mara herself.

Then a new light appeared. A warm light, if uncontrolled. Mara watched as the light drew itself together into a person. Their daughter in this dimension. Rey. The silhouette of Ben appeared and tried to attack Rey, and Mara jolted as the vision ended and she was back on Ahch-to. The caws of the white birds floating in the skies above did nothing to slow Mara's beating heart. The Jedi Master was surprised to find herself gasping for air. It had been a long time since she'd experienced Force visions that intense, and never for so long. The sun was nearing the horizon, an indicator that several hours had passed. Mara checked her commlink, but neither Rey nor Luke nor R2 had tried to contact during her meditation. The Jedi Master dwelled on what the Force had shown her. Obviously so much had changed compared to this dimension. Kyle Katarn had never existed apparently, and the First Order was just as potent at the Empire now, if not more so since they were now a Rebellion with a much stronger position than during the Galactic Civil War. The dark side was strong, but Mara knew that bringing Luke back into the fold and training Rey would be a huge boon for the Resistance and the remnants of the New Republic. How she was going to do that, though, remained to be seen.

 **Illeenium System, Planet D'Qar**

The hanger was a bustle of activity. People of all species and genders were running about, loading cargo ships, preparing fighters for battle, everything to get all the assets they had off planet before the First Order struck back. Starships of all shapes and sizes were present in the hanger as Dannard followed Hera Syndulla towards her own ship. He was mildly surprised to see that it was a modified VCX-100 light freighter. Another Corellian model. Dan didn't suppress the small feeling of pride that it was Corellian engineering once again that had helped the Rebellion through so much, if the stories about Hera were to be believed.

Hera smirked at the look on Dannard's face, one of awe and pride. "I take it you're familiar with the _Ghost_?"

"I know that's Corellian in origin, just like I am," Dan replied as the ramp to the ship lowered. "Tell me General, can she make it point five past lightspeed like another famous Corellian ship?"

The Twi'lek chuckled. "She may not be as fast as the _Millennium Falcon_ , but there's no ship in the galaxy I'd rather rely on."

"Spoken like a true pilot," Dan laughed, "Kat says the same thing about her modified A-Wing." His laughter faded as he realized that that particular fighter was currently well beyond their reach. "Well, if it weren't another dimension away."

Hera's green eyes showed concern. "General Organa told me about what happened. Don't worry kid, I'm sure everything will turn out alright." Chopper rumbled something at her, which got a disapproving glance. "You be quiet over there."

"I'd rather not know what he said," Dan said as Hera led him up the ramp. "I could never understand Binary all that well anyways."

"It's Chopper," Hera replied matter-of-factly. "Now, let me introduce you to the other member of my crew. Just be careful, she's not exactly the biggest fan of the Jedi."

"If the Jedi have been gone for years," Dan began, curious, "Why wouldn't she like me?"

Hera paused, searching for the right words. "It's… complicated. She'll warm up in time, just be patient. She's lost several friends over the years, and we've all coped in our own way."

Dan fell silent, contemplating what he'd just heard. He cast his senses forward, trying to get a feel for what Hera meant. He felt a mind that felt composed of solid iron. It was so heavily guarded, that he could only get a sense of resolve harder than durasteel. This being was a warrior, that much he understood. Then Hera opened the door to the corridor and he saw her.

She wasn't the tallest human in the galaxy. At least, Dannard assumed she was human underneath all the colorful Mandalorian armor she wore. He could think of several species that would fill out the armor exactly the way this woman did. She wore several different weapons all over her being, from explosives to a wrist mounted flamethrower to a modified concussion grenade launcher and even a lightsaber hanging off her hip. Dan hoped to hear that story at some point, hopefully when he was better acquainted with this Mandalorian.

"Sabine," Hera called, getting her attention. The Mando turned around, the T-visor on her helmet as intimidating as the rest of her arsenal. A part of Dan had always wanted to get his hand on a Mandalorian helmet, curious as to what it was about them that enabled them to be one of the best warrior cultures in the galaxy, and certainly one of the most famous. He could see her sizing him up behind that helmet, looking up and down his Jedi attire. The young Jedi could practically sense her eyes narrow at the sight of his lightsabers.

"So you're calling yourself a Jedi, huh?" Sabine's voice was measured, no emotions betrayed.

Dannard took a second to plot out a response. In the end, he decided a simple answer was best. "I am."

"He's accompanying us to Agamar to aid in bringing Kalani over to our side," Hera explained.

"Is that so?" Sabine tilted her head ever so slightly, suggesting mild amusement. Without warning, she drew her blaster and fired at Dannard, who had a warning from the Force just in time for him to throw himself to the side, one hand on his lightsabers.

"Are you crazy?!" Dan shouted. He glanced back, seeing the scorch mark on the back wall. "That was live ammo!"

Sabine holstered her blaster in one smooth motion. "He's _Jetiise_ alright. Just stay out of my way." With that, she left the corridor for some other part of the ship.

"I've heard Mandos were crazy, but I didn't think they were that crazy!" Dan commented, a bit of an adrenaline buzz pumping through his body at the close call.

"She does take some getting used to," Hera admitted. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "But the fact that she only fired once is a positive, at least with her. Just give it some time. She's never really liked newcomers, not since Skywalker's Jedi were destroyed and Skywalker himself vanished." Chopper grumbled a few burbles, rolling towards the cockpit.

Dan looked to change the subject. "So, since Agamar is a few days away, even if this is the fastest ship in the galaxy, where are the living quarters?"

"I'll show you once we get into hyperspace," Hera answered, apparently also glad to get the topic off Sabine. "It's nice to have a Jedi aboard the _Ghost_ again." Her tone was nostalgic, remembering some day long past.

"That's the second time you've mentioned this old Jedi, just who was he?" Dan asked.

Hera's smile was warm, but the older Twi'lek's eyes were sad. "Let me tell you about the Jedi Knight named Kanan Jarrus…"

 **Bilbringi Shipyards**

It felt good to Katerina to be at the controls of a star fighter again. When General Organa had asked her what her skill set was, she'd happily explained how she'd preferred the confines of a cockpit over boots on the ground. Now here she was, a member of Black Squadron, which she presumed to be the equivalent of the legendary Rogue Squadron from her dimension, designated Black 7. It was a simple mission for the squadron; escort one of Leia's envoys to the planet so that they could explain what had happened to the New Republic leadership and rally the small New Republic fleet stationed there to the Resistance's cause.

"Just a few frigates and cruisers," Kat noted as they winged over the planet, passing above the naval docks where the small fleet was stationed. "Lovely." Despite the system being choked by asteroids rich in mining materials, their flight path towards Bilbringi was clear, thanks to repuslors set up around the system. The X-Wing squadron was set up in a protective screen around a Wolden class shuttle, making their way towards the Bilbringi surface.

The Corellian Jedi was taking advantage of the time she had to get used to the feel of her X-Wing. Each and every fighter, even those of the same class, had their own personalities. Dan had laughed at her the first time she'd mentioned that to him, much to her annoyance, but he had quickly been shown otherwise through her abilities as a pilot, even pointing out the difference in the simulators at the Temple. Her X-Wing was slower than what she was used to, though few starfighters were fast enough to keep up with the raw speed of an A-Wing fighter, much less Kat's modified A-Wing. Even if the X-Wing was slower than her A-Wing, Kat could feel the greater firepower the fighter held within its wings. Another bonus from this simple non-combat mission was her still getting adjusted to her new hand. As close as it was to the human hand, it still felt a little off to her. Dr. Cham'ra had informed her that it would take a little time for her to be as completely adept with her new hand as she had been with her natural one, but for now it was a simple matter of practice. She wasn't clumsy with her new hand or anything, like many patients who had lost limbs over the millennia had been, but as a pilot, where life and death in the cockpit came down to milliseconds, Kat could feel the difference as her hands gripped the X-Wing controls.

"Every bit counts," Poe Dameron replied, "General Organa knows we're going to need every ship we can get."

"Shouldn't we be at Fondor then?" Jess Testor, Black 2, asked. "They're the ones that make the big guns."

"That's our next stop," Temmin Wexley answered, also known as Black 5. "Besides, you'll be happy to have a MC40 cruiser backing you up once you've seen them in action. They may not be able to take on a Star Destroyer, but they're definitely a force to be reckoned with by anything smaller."

"We're going to need guns big and small to take on the First Order," Poe pointed out. "Now tighten up Black Squadron, we're approaching the surface." If there was a way for Kat to describe Bilbringi, it would be if someone had taken half of Coruscant and half of Polis Massa and mashed them together. One of the two massive continents was covered by infrastructure, lights glowing all over the massive city as it was slowly emerging into the Bilbringi daylight. The other continent, entering into the dark side of the planet, looked stripped bare, the extensive mining on the planet removing all but a few patches of green from the planet. The constant need of resources in order to construct the ships was taking its toll on Bilbringi, even with all the asteroids in system. The ocean separating the two continents was a bright shade of blue, a stark contrast with the grays of the mining side and the silvers of the city side. Katerina was glad they were heading towards the city, even as the planet filled her viewport.

"So how long are we staying on this rock?" Jess asked, a hint of resignation in her tone. Kat could tell she'd rather be out flying against the First Order than on escort duty. The Corellian couldn't blame her though, she'd rather be in the thick of the action as well, but Katerina knew full well the importance of this mission of theirs, even if it wasn't the kind of mission they made holoproductions of. Of course, if the First Order had similar ideas and arrived in force, then perhaps the producers might have something to work with.

"It should just be a couple of days," Poe said, "Maybe less if they're cooperative. Then it's on to Fondor, and a few more planets after that, then it's whatever General Organa tells us to do."

Nein Numb added a few lines of Sullustan to Poe's statement, prompting the ace pilot to laugh. "Yeah, we might see some action if the First Order is doing what we're doing, trying to get every ship possible on their side. That's why we gotta get there first."

"It's all well and good to have the ships," Kat pointed out, "But what good are they if we don't have anyone to fly them?"

"General Organa sent a statement out over the Holonet explaining what had happened with Hosnia and is trying to rally what's left of the New Republic together, so I bet our next base is going to be a hella lot bigger," Poe answered. "Hell, I'm hearing we're going to need multiple home bases, at least if initial rumor about early recruitment efforts is true."

"Glad to hear it," Wexley said, voicing most of Black Squadron's opinion. "We're gonna need all hands on deck for this one." Things were looking up though, Katerina thought. With more allies gathering every day, they were going to take the fight to the First Order, who still had to be reeling from the loss of their superweapon and however many other resources they had invested into that planet. For now though, time to focus on the task at hand, including aiding Leia's envoy in potential negotiations should the need arise.

 **D'Qar**

Leia stood in the nearly empty command center, taking a moment to breath. She'd been working non-stop trying to better her little Resistance, and she'd felt she'd made significant progress over the past several hours. Hundreds of planets had already pledged their support in the battle against the First Order, and she had narrowed down the list of potential main bases to a select few. The mineral planet of Crait appeared to be a leading candidate, given how remote it was and how it already housed an abandoned base from the Rebellion days. Galtea was another leading candidate, though depending on the price the native Galteans demanded, it might not work out. One of the many moons of Bonagal was also looking good as a secret base, very similar to how Yavin 4 had been years ago. Leia hoped Admiral Ackbar would be available for consultation soon, as he had returned home to Mon Cala to rally his people to the cause once more. Leia knew just how reliable the Mon Calamari could be when they needed to, and the Quarrens of the planet were great warriors of their own right.

The fact that much of the Resistance leadership was currently off planet was a cause for concern, but only a minor one for Leia, as each had taken some part of their base with, ready to assemble as soon as Leia decided on a world to form their new base. If the First Order were to strike now, they wouldn't get much.

"General Organa, it's time we get moving," the voice of C-3PO called from the entrance to the command center. "Lieutenant Connix is most anxious to leave."

"Tell her I'm coming," Leia replied calmly, looking around once more. They'd worked so hard to set up this planet as their base, and yet it was time to move on. With that, Leia turned to leave, feeling her age as she tried to decide just which planet would be the best fit for their next base.

 **Hyperspace Transit to Agamar**

Khai Ren was restless. She was pacing in her quarters on the Venator-class Star Destroyer _Merciless_ , ready for anything. She had felt a disturbance in the dark side, as though a warrior of the light was awaiting her on Agamar. She had been eager for a fight against a competent warrior for years, as ever since the New Jedi Order of Skywalker's had been vanquished Khai had never found an opponent worthy enough to fight to the death, as killing her fellow Knights of Ren was frowned upon. Of course, Kylo never had any problems letting her go all out in training sessions, mainly because he won all the time. His massive power in the Force gave him all the advantages he needed. Khai had made up for her average Force abilities with intense physical training, becoming the best assassin among the Knights of Ren. The Supreme Leader had sent her on this mission to either recruit the droids to their side or assassinate Kalani and convince the next leader to join them. Either way, she wasn't leaving Agamar without the valuable droid army on the First Order's side, or destroyed so that the Resistance couldn't have them.

Khai was an attractive human female, long light brown hair held in a tight braid down her back, dark brown eyes bright with anticipation. She was considered beautiful by human standards, the only flaw in her complexion a small scar on the corner of her mouth. Khai looked over her weapons, looking forward to the fight that the dark side was warning her of. Her lightsaber rested on her desk, the saberstaff gleaming in the light. She took pride in maintaining proper care of her weaponry, including her shikkar, a glass dagger designed to make the victim's death as painful as possible by snapping off at the hilt with a simple twist. A custom vibroblade rested next to the shikkar, not as pretty as the glass dagger, but far more durable in combat nonetheless. Of course, in the talented hands of the Knight of Ren, nearly anything could become a lethal weapon.

She thought about the show of power they were supposed to make. Droids weren't easily intimidated, and there was no telling just how much Kalani had already calculated both the First Order's and the Resistance's strengths. He'd stayed out of the Galactic Civil War over 30 years ago, but had made it clear that the last stronghold of the Separatist Alliance was not to be trifled with. They had had a representative in the New Republic, though that representative was probably just superheated atoms at this point. Khai winced as she thought about the potential implication that might have with Kalani. She'd heard about the tactical prowess of the super tactical droid and didn't want to waste a potential asset, but if the droid proved uncooperative, then she had to take it out.

With that in mind, she began her preparations. Several EMP grenades were tucked onto her belt, a must have when facing the possibility of battling droids, as well as a few frag grenades. With her armor, and the potential light side opponent probably not wearing anything heavier than robes, it was a good way to seriously wound such an opponent. Her shikkar was hidden up her sleeve, just in case. Up her other sleeve was a small blaster pistol, where a small nudge with the Force would bring it to her hand. A small dart gun was strapped to her lower back, the poison in those darts enough to stun a rancor, but given the rarity of such a poison, they were an absolute last resort. Sufficiently armed, Khai donned her cloak and mask, masking her human appearance and adding to the overall intimidating aura she wished to exude. Although the masks were Mandalorian in origin, it had been the Supreme Leader who had created the final designs of the masks of Ren, inspired apparently by a Sith Lord of old. With the 291st Stormtrooper Legion on board, Khai had plenty of backup, but it never hurt to be prepared.

 **Ahch-to**

Rey was in her element. She was used to being alone, growing up on Jakku, though exploring this ancient Temple was far different from exploring and scavenging pieces of old Star Destroyers in the desert. It was a lot cooler than that desert planet, for one, though her outfit was more adept at holding in the body heat than the rags Rey had used on Jakku. She was still unable to suppress a shiver as she nimbly made her way over some rubble towards a door, set within an alcove partway down the cliff they had scaled not too long ago. The door was important, covered as it was by carvings, phrases marking it in some ancient language that Rey couldn't comprehend. A part of her wished Threepio was there, then Rey paused. Her recovered memories were a little fuzzy, understandably so given how long ago they had occurred, but Rey was still coming to terms with those memories. It certainly filled certain gaps she had growing up, not that Unkar Plutt had been forthcoming in explaining why she was on Jakku in the first place. Then there was the issue with Mara, both the one she knew and the one she remembered. Her deception still hurt, as did the recently reacquired memories of her actual mother's death, but there was another emotion in there, one she wasn't in the mood to identify now. With the door in arm's length, Rey set about trying to find a way to open it. There was no discernable lock, nor any handle with which to gain leverage.

"Now how am I going to open this thing?" she murmured to herself, touching the door. There was an aura to this place, thrumming with power. It was soothing, nurturing, enlightening. The Force was strong here, and even with the minimal training she had gotten in her early years, Rey could feel just why the Jedi had built their first temple here. A little more poking and prodding, even using her staff as a lever to try and pry the door open, and Rey admitted defeat with a growl. "This thing is impossible to open."

There was a pulse of power through the Force. Rey felt it and whirled around, the breeze entering the rocky alcove. One heartbeat passed. Two. Nothing appeared. Rey could sense something though, a presence. Yet nothing was moving but the waves outside and the birds in the sky. Then Rey heard a voice in her mind. It was rough, gravely, and yet it held a wisdom behind it that sounded as ancient as the temple itself. _"Impossible, say you, hmm?"_

Rey jumped, holding her staff in a guard position. "Show yourself!"

The voice chuckled. _"Myself, I will show when ready. Know you how to open the temple?"_

"You tell me," Rey shot back, not relaxing her guard. Her brown eyes swept from left to right, trying to spot whoever was speaking. "Can only a Jedi open it?"

 _"Yes. And no."_ The voice was sad now. _"A Jedi, you need not be, but friendly the Temple will be, if a Jedi you are."_

"So you're saying I need to get Father down here," Rey deduced, "Or Mother."

 _"Need? No child, need them you do not."_ the sadness was gone from the voice now, it was back to a tone of teaching. _"When the Force is your ally, many doors opened will be."_

"So how do I make the Force my ally?" Rey asked, finally relaxing just a little.

 _"Already know, you do child,"_ the voice said and Rey blinked as there was a shimmer of light near the entrance of the alcove. She would've described the blue translucent being that appeared as a troll, and would've had no clue who it was had her father not shown her a holo of the Jedi Masters of the Old Republic.

"Master Yoda," Rey gasped, lowering her staff. Yoda smiled at her before fading from view. There was another breeze and the presence Rey had been feeling, Yoda's presence she knew now, also faded. Rey took a second to think about what Yoda had just told her. She apparently already knew how to make the Force her ally. The scavenger looked towards the door once again. It couldn't hurt to give it a try.

Yoda's voice echoed faintly in her head. _"Try not! Do!"_

Rey smirked. "All right then, let's do this." She held up a hand, reaching out with her mind towards the door. It was just a big rock, and yet, it had been wedged in a manner that, barring a powered exosuit, it wouldn't budge by normal hands. Rey envisioned the door opening and pushed out with her mind. The door rumbled. Mildly annoyed, Rey pushed again. She hadn't expected it to be easy, but it was still just a door. Another push. The door slid back, then fell into place once more. Rey debated on how long it would take to go get either Mara or Luke, but decided on pressing on. She pushed once more, closing her eyes and envisioning the door opening. With a rumble the door slowly slid open, reaching the point of no return and settling in the open position with a dull thud. Rey found herself out of breath, a little drained after putting in so much effort, but was ready to press on into the temple. It was dark inside, but with the glow rod in her pouch, Rey could see even more carvings, possible telling about the Jedi of old, possibly a teaching about the Force, whatever they were, Rey was going to find out. It was time to explore this old Jedi Temple, and perhaps she would encounter more specters of the past. Either way, she was going to learn more about the Force today.

 **Hyperspace Transit, en route to Ileenuim System**

Kylo Ren's blade crackled as it clashed against the red blade of his new apprentice. Tave Ren was eager to prove herself, but her swordsmanship needed work. So did his, of course, and so he was working on his defenses as she wore herself out against his blade. Tave's mask betrayed no emotion, but her mind was easy to read. She was young, but showed great potential. With a scream of rage, Tave leaped into the air, intent on coming down on top of him.

"Enough!" Kylo Ren snapped and caught her in the Force. She floundered in the air, another passionate shout escaping from her mask as her frustration boiled over. With a mental shove, Kylo slammed Tave onto the cold durasteel floor of the _Finalizer_. Her lightsaber flew out of her hand with the impact and extinguished itself.

"I'm not done yet!" Tave growled at him, calling her lightsaber back to her hand.

"You are done," Kylo responded, using the Force to wrench her lightsaber out of her hand and call it to his. "I could've sliced you in half with that last leap had I been trying to kill you. You let your anger take control of you."

"Isn't that a part of the dark side though, anger?" Tave asked, tilting her head.

"It is," Kylo agreed, "But you need to use it, you can't let it use you." He paused, realizing that Snoke had given him the same lecture after Hux had reported one of his tantrums aboard this very Star Destroyer. He now saw the insight behind it. Snoke was indeed wise in giving him an apprentice, as it was helping him learn as much as he was helping young Tave here learn. His training in the dark side was accelerating, and yet he still felt the call of the light. His father lived. Somehow. It frustrated him. Even after he tried to kill his own father and fully embrace the darkness. That old man was the most stubborn man in the galaxy. Until Han Solo was dead, Kylo Ren knew he would never be free of Ben Solo. Still, he would resist the call of the light. The darkness was his destiny, and with the help of the Supreme Leader he could be free of this lingering doubt and bring order to the galaxy. Back to the matter at hand. "Anger is a powerful tool, and when used correctly will make you a force to be reckoned with in combat. But you cannot allow it to run unchecked, or it will make you reckless, to the point where you'd make a fatal mistake a more level-headed opponent would take advantage of."

"Is that what happened to you?" Tave challenged him, indicating his new hand and the scar along his face. "You let yourself get too mad?"

Kylo suppressed the temptation to strangle her with the Force. His loss to this Mara stung, in more ways than one. He wasn't ready to face her again just yet. He knew that, and yet Tave's words still cut deep. If he was to prove himself worthy of training an apprentice to Snoke, he would have to deal with the impudence properly. "I made a mistake. I challenged her before I was ready. I was lucky to get out of there alive. It taught me a valuable lesson."

"What's that?"

Kylo took off his mask, glaring at her with a wisdom born from learning the hard way. "That there is no shame in retreating and living to fight another day. Don't waste your potential with a silly mistake born from letting your emotions run wild. Make them serve you, don't serve your emotions."

Tave took off her own mask, revealing her pretty face, green eyes framed by blonde curly hair. She was eager to prove herself. "Understood."

 **Ahch-To**

Mara watched the sun make its final descent towards the horizon, creating a fiery clash of colors that was breathtaking to behold. She stood on the cliffside, where they had found Luke earlier that afternoon, overlooking the grave that marked Mara's counterpart in this dimension. It was almost surreal, looking back on the events that had transpired over the past few galactic days. Mara sensed Rey moving down below, coming to terms with her growing powers. She was a natural talent, much like her Ben. A part of the Jedi Master was worried about how much Rey was using her emotions, but knew that with the right training Rey would overcome any temptation of the dark side. She sensed Luke emerge from his hut, slowly walking towards her spot on the cliffside. Mara didn't turn, letting Luke come closer. She was ready to support him, but only if he asked for it. She continued to stare out at the sunset, feeling the last rays of the sun as it headed downwards. Luke stopped next to her, also apparently staring out at the sun. Perhaps it was a daily ritual for him at this point, or perhaps it was something more depressing. Mara wasn't going to press.

The last Jedi finally broke the silence. "You know how powerful she is, don't you?"

Mara glanced at him, but Luke had eyes for the ocean down below. "She's your daughter, of course she's powerful." Mara was careful to avoid saying 'our' daughter, even though she wanted to.

Luke took a deep breath. He was sensing Rey's progress through the Temple down below, just as Mara was. "I've seen this raw strength only once before. It didn't scare me enough then." He looked at Mara directly in her green eyes, his blue eyes haunted by the memories of the past. "It does now."

 **So, lots of setups for battles going on in this chapter, both external and internal, as well as some more details about the Knights of Ren I created. Not really that big in excitement, but hey, even Empire Strikes Back had some slower moments. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.**

 **With Star Wars Rebels finishing up this fall, I wish to elaborate on my inclusion of some of the Ghost crew. I don't know what's going to happen to everybody, with only Hera and Chopper confirmed to have survived Rogue One. I'm making a prediction and sticking to it. I predict in Season 4 that Zeb and Kanan will die during the liberation of Lothal, which leaves Ezra without a teacher until he tries to join Luke's new Order after Return of the Jedi, then Ezra is slain when the Knights of Ren destroy the Temple as seen in TFA. Sabine survives, but many years of fighting in the Mandalorian Civil War hardened her into the tough Mando warrior I've depicted her as in this chapter. It's potential character development, from my point of view.**

 **Shoutout to Shockeye7665 for giving me the idea for what to do with Katerina, I honestly had no clue what to do with her at this point, lel, again, I didn't think I'd come this far before TLJ came out.**

 **Response to Guest Reviews:**

 **Denz-El: I feel bad for what I did to Luke, and what Disney did to Luke, especially after the whole EU had given him so much. But that's new canon material for you.**

 **I think I'll continue Force ghost cameos/appearances on Ahch-To until the Skywalker family leaves, but I want it done right. I feel I did well enough with Yoda in this chapter, though I'm certain if others aren't satisfied I'll be hearing it in the reviews. Such is the life of an author.**

 **Speaking of life as an author, Star Wars + Back to the Future equals one crazy story idea that could work out really well if done correctly. Try and flesh it out if you want, I'll even beta read it if you need one, but don't be afraid to take that first step.**

 **God bless my friend, may the Force be with you!**

 **Guest: It's amazing how quickly certain things come to an end. I'd rather Rebels leave on a high note than stick around too long, imo, so 4 seasons is just about right. Also, I'll be very upset if Luke dies in TLJ, so he better not leave Rey on her own.**

 **CG: I contemplated going with that route, but decided that there was no need for Rey to strike, not just yet. I need more information about this new canon if I want to get everything just right.**

 **James T. Kirk: Snoke being related to Palpatine would be purely coincidental on my part, hehe, I just see a lot of villains doing that "goooooood" vibe, especially when trying to sway the hero to their side. No, the new Knights of Ren aren't Dan and Kat, I basically gave away who they are in this chapter alone. EU fans will understand.**

 **CG: both are solid possibilities, but we'll have to wait and see until the movie comes out to put all the pieces together.**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review as I welcome any and all constructive criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve.**

 **Follow me on Twitter, at nuttybuddy792 for more content and interactions. I'm always up for interaction with my readers. Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


	16. Trials and Travels

**Good afternoon everybody, the Nutty Buddy is back with the first post release of the Last Jedi chapter. As I'm sure you're all aware, the Last Jedi didn't exactly score well with the audience. Me, personally? I would describe my feelings as disappointed. I've had time to digest what happened in The Last Jedi, and I would give it a 6 out of 10. It wasn't the worst Star Wars movie I've seen, but it's a far cry from the instant classic the shills we call critics make it out to be. The Canto Bight arc was waaaaay too long, the space chase was full of holes, Holdo was a disappointment, don't get me started on Carrie Poppins, or Rey for that matter. Not even Luke progressed as quickly as she did in the span of what, 3 galactic standard days, give or take? These so-called allies they have in the Outer Rim better be damn good, or else IX is gonna be another dump Disney takes on Star Wars lore. I want to like it, I really do. It's just after reading over 30 years of EU material, just to see it swept aside like that, it's saddening. But enough about what happened, here's the chapter:**

 **Luke Skywalker:** **The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Star Wars and all its affiliates are all owned by Disney, Lucasfilm, and George Lucas. Please support the official release, and leave me alone!**

 **Chapter 16: Trials and Travels**

Rey climbed over some rubble, making her way through the darkened corridors of the temple, her glow rod held aloft. This place had a mysterious feel to it, through both the Force and her mundane senses. The carvings on the wall were in some ancient language she couldn't understand, but at the same time Rey could gather a general sense of them from the carvings. There was history here. Power. Life. Balance. Rey reached out with her mind, trying to get a sense. There was conflict on the walls, light against the dark. Good against evil. Jedi versus Sith, if the warriors wielding red blades were indeed the Sith Lords of old. She wondered just who carved this history into this wall and wondered what history she would carve.

"Wow…" she breathed, taking it all in. Her wonder was only met by her curiosity. Rey pulled some of the moss off the wall, revealing even more of the pictographs depicting the history of the Jedi Order. She would've stared at the walls for hours had she not felt a tug in the Force, pulling her through the cavern. Her footsteps echoed when she stepped on rock, a testament to how smooth the cavern walls were. The temperature was cool, damn near freezing for someone used to the deserts of Jakku, but Rey didn't feel it. There was so much to take in, and yet she was drawn deeper, into the cold, down a dark tunnel. She heard the crash of the ocean and wondered just where she was going. The intricate historical carvings were left behind, the only one Rey had seen when she'd entered this side tunnel appeared to be one of warning.  
"Where are you taking me?" Rey asked no one in particular. Even with her glow rod held aloft, the darkness felt as though it was closing in. She shivered, not from the cold, but from the innate fear of the dark born in most humans. Despite her trepidation, Rey kept going. Something was calling to her, almost like a cry for help. The sound of the ocean grew louder, waves crashing against the cliffside. There was a faint light at the end of the tunnel, and Rey emerged from that light into an alcove, nestled in the cliffside, hidden from outside viewers if Rey had to guess. The waves crashed against the cliff and splashed up, sprinkling the rocks with water. Rey savored the feeling of the cool water, remembering the dry days of Jakku. Never had she thought she'd ever see so much water, let alone feel the salty spray of the ocean. Wiping the water away from her eyes, Rey took stock of her surroundings. It was dark, the outside light of the Ahch-to sun barely filtering in through the water, giving Rey enough light to put her glow rod away, yet still instill that ominous sense of foreboding. It was damp, water splashing everywhere. Despite the abundance of water, the only form of life Rey could see was this weird black slimy plant growing in the center of the ledge. Upon closer examination, Rey realized that there was a large hole in the center, the plant growing seemingly into the hole.

With a sudden realization, Rey realized just what this place was and why it was calling to her. This place was cold, and reeked of the dark side. Maybe it could show her what caused the fall of Ben Solo. If she knew just what it was that brought him to the dark side, perhaps she could bring him back. Her father did it with Vader, why couldn't she do it with Ben? Maybe the dark side could give her answers.

There was a gust of wind, stirring Rey's hair, and she felt the Force swell again with another presence. This one felt powerful. It spoke, sounding young, yet wise beyond his years. _'Think carefully about what you are about to do.'_ There was a wealth of regret in his tone.

"You know what this place is and why it's calling to me?" Rey challenged.

 _'The dark side of the Force is always calling out to people with power,'_ the presence explained. _'It is seductive, it preys on your worst fears to bring you under its beck and call. And once it has a hold of you…'_ He paused, as if taking a deep breath to steady himself.

Rey was almost scared to ask. "What?"

 _'It's damn near impossible to break free.'_ The presence felt sad, full of remorse. _'It was only a miracle that I even came back at all.'_

Rey paused, absorbing those words. "You fell to the dark side?"

 _'I did.'_

"And you came back?" Rey was starting to connect the dots.

 _'Barely.'_ The presence's voice had a hint of amusement to it as he responded.

Rey made the logical deduction, remembering all the stories her father had told her. "Grandfather!"

The man that appeared was tall with messy dark blonde hair, blue eyes filled with concern and hope. He wore dark robes, as if to symbolize his life between the light and the dark. There was an aura about him, one of power and of regret. He was wise, despite him looking so young. _'Hello Rey. I'm glad you could finally make it here to meet me.'_

"So this place is of the dark side?" Rey asked, getting back to the matter at hand. "But why would such a beautiful planet have such an evil place?"

Anakin Skywalker stepped forward, the blue glow about him reminding Rey that he was a ghost. _'The dark side can never be fully eradicated, despite the Jedi's best efforts. It will always find a hole to retreat into, hiding from the light. Trust me Rey, the dark side will seek to corrupt you, to control you. It will twist your mind until you become the very thing you swear to destroy.'_ He looked away, shame on his face. Rey knew of the story. It had been her favorite bedtime story before she'd been dumped on Jakku, if only because of the redemption aspect. Skywalker became Vader and brought down the Old Republic, doing countless unspeakable acts before Luke redeemed him at the end. It was the story of legends. Anakin met her gaze, eyes haunted by the actions of the past. _'It cost me everything. So think carefully Rey, before you listen to the call of the darkness. It will tempt you with promises that it cannot deliver on.'_

"Do you know what it promised Kylo?" Rey asked, thinking about her cousin.

Anakin shook his head. _'Only Ben can explain his reasons for falling. I fell because of my attachments, which were twisted and turned against me by the dark side. Ben shuts me out, because he only wants to see Vader. He doesn't realize that the dark side only destroys. Even if the First Order were to snuff out the Resistance, their new Empire would never last, just like Sideous' Empire failed to survive beyond his death. Do not travel the dark path Rey, for it will only destroy you in the end.'_

Rey nodded. "I won't." Anakin nodded and faded from view, his presence fading back into the Force. Rey gasped, feeling the darkness closing back in. Her grandfather's presence had pushed back the darkness, but now that he was gone, the dark side of the Force was pushing back. Rey could feel the whispers of the dark now, having been warned by her grandfather.

"I think it's high time I went back," she said to herself, reactivating her glow rod and disappearing into the tunnel. She had a lot to think about.

 _ **The Ghost**_ **¸ Hyperspace Transit to Agamar**

Dannard Noslen, newly anointed Jedi Knight, unwilling victim of hyperspace travel, and aspiring duelist, was restless. The transit to Agamar had been quiet, a chance to meditate, a chance to contemplate, but Dannard had never been a man of quiet, despite his best efforts during Jedi training. As it was, he was currently going through his daily exercise routine in the cargo bay of the _Ghost_ , dressed only in his pants and boots as he went through a set of press-ups. The young Jedi resisted the temptation to use the Force to soothe his burning muscles. It would defeat the purpose of the physical activity if he did that. So he continued, glad for what little distraction this exercise provided. The story Hera had told him, about the _Ghost_ and its original crew, about what they did for the Rebellion and later the New Republic, those that had survived the Galactic Civil War anyways. The sacrifice of the noble Jedi, Kanan Jarris, during the battle of Lothal, it resonated with Dan for some reason. Many survivors of Order 66 had died on the blade of Darth Vader, and yet perhaps it was the way Hera had presented Kanan's story that struck a cord in Dan. She clearly loved the man, the sadness with which she spoke of his ultimate sacrifice was nearly tangible. The losses Hera had suffered over the years, of Zeb the Lasat, of Kanan, of his apprentice, the street rat turned Jedi Ezra, and all to fight against the Empire. Dan resolved not to let the First Order win. He didn't want the sacrifices of the crew that Hera had held so dear to be in vain.

Dan finished the press ups, wiping the sweat off his brow. He had time for one more exercise before hopping in the sanistream, to look somewhat presentable to the droid general Kalani. Glancing up at the walkway, he jumped up and grasped the bar, pulling himself up so his chin could touch the edge of the walkway before allowing himself to sink, repeating the process. Upon the fifth pull up, a pair of boots entered his vision. Pausing at the peak of the pull up, Dan looked up to see the rapidly becoming familiar T-visor of the colorful Mandalorian helmet peering down at him.

"If you've come to join me," Dan gritted out, going down and coming back up again, "I'm afraid I'm nearly done."

Sabine watched him continue, head tilted as if curious. She didn't say anything, instead climbing down the ladder onto Dannard's level just as he finished his set, watching him drop to the ground and use the Force to call a towel into his hand. "Every Jedi I've ever met has been different."

"Really?" Dannard mumbled through the towel as he wiped his face. "And this surprises you? We are people you know."

The Mandalorian tilted her head again, emotionless helmet betraying nothing. Her mind yielded nothing about her intentions either. Dan kept one eye on the blasters in her holsters, in case she tried any funny business like when they'd met. "No, it doesn't surprise me. It's more with how different you are compared to the other Jedi I've known. Kanan was so Jedi-like, not as much as Luke Skywalker but still, he was calmer than Ezra ever was. You? You're actually disciplined. Focused."

"I had to," Dan answered. "Otherwise I would've never survived the Vong War."

Sabine didn't seem impressed. "Tell me Jedi, would you be interested in a quick sparring session?"

The Corellian was intrigued by the offer. For two whole days she'd been quick to excuse herself whenever he entered the room, not willing to interact with him for whatever reason. When asked about it, Hera merely deflected Dan's inquiry's, saying it was for Sabine to talk about when she was ready. Given her Mandalorian heritage, Dan figured that this was Sabine's way of getting to know him. "Sure, you want to go hand to hand or should I lend you my other lightsaber?" He grabbed his belt off one of the nearby supply crates, taking one of his lightsabers in his hand and offering the other to Sabine.

Sabine grasped a hilt off her own belt, holding it up. "No thanks, I have my own." She ignited the lightsaber, and Dan blinked. He'd seen lightsabers of nearly every color on the visible spectrum for humans, yet he'd never seen a black lightsaber before. It was… odd.

"Something tells me there's a long story behind that lightsaber and why a Mando like you is carrying it around," Dan commented, holding up one of his lightsabers and placing the other one back on his tunic. It was a friendly spar, no need for both sabers. He ignited his own lightsaber, the familiar emerald green blade springing to life as he held it in the classic Shien opening stance, a two-handed grip above his head with the blade angled up and behind him.

Sabine nodded. "You could say this lightsaber practically defined the history of Mandalore." She held the lightsaber with both hands in front of her, a simple guard position. Dan waited for five seconds, expecting her to strike first, as he expected from a Mando, but she just stood there, lightsaber at the ready and her mind as solid as before, not giving any indication of when she would attack.

"How so?" he asked, trying to feel out her intentions. Dan stepped to the side, trying to see her reaction.

As expected, Sabine turned to match his movement, keeping the black blade of her lightsaber between her and Dan. "This lightsaber has been passed down for generations through my family. The Vizlas have long been a part of the ruling class of Mandalore, not that we've had a true Mandalore in decades. Stewards, Duchesses, but never a true leader."

"So, what, you're a princess?" Dan asked, glad to finally get some answers, even if they led to more questions. "Mando royalty?"

"Nothing so crude," Sabine answered. "I never wanted to rule Mandalore anyways. It just so happened that I was the last one left to use the saber. So I left Mandalore." She closed down the saber, to Dan's surprise. She reached up and took off her helmet. Despite the years of apparent combat and life in the Rebellion and later the Resistance, the woman's face had aged relatively well. There were a few stress lines near the edges of her face, but she was still quite the looker. Her short hair was dyed pine green, sky blue and light purple streaked throughout.

Dan let his own blade be extinguished, relaxing his guard. He knew Mandalorians were a nomadic people at times, but this departure sounded like she had no intention of going back to her homeworld. "And you took the lightsaber with you, why?"

"The war had become a battle for the blade," Sabine replied, holding up the lightsaber. "People were dying for this lightsaber because whoever owned it would be seen as the rightful ruler of Mandalore." Her brown eyes met Dan's curious gaze, years of hardship etched into those eyes. "So I took the lightsaber with me. The Mandalorian Civil War is over because of my actions."

"Civil war?" Dan stepped forward. "That's…"

Sabine's eyes narrowed. "You don't think Mandolorians are capable of civil war? Are they not warriors from your dimension?"

"No no," Dan backpedaled, "Quite the opposite in fact. They're among the galaxy's greatest warriors. It's just, from what I've seen of Mandos, they're quite loyal to one another, provided they aren't on opposite sides of a bounty. Sure, they got hit hard by the Vong, but last reports showed they were beginning to return to Mandalore to rebuild."

"Loyalty?" Sabine nearly laughed as she took a step forward. "It's all clan warfare now. That's our Mandolorian way now. Fighting over a lifeless rock, just so that one clan can claim superiority. It's pathetic, really."

"I had no idea that had-" Dan began, then found himself having trouble breathing as Sabine punched him in the stomach, using the lightsaber for extra oomph. He stumbled backwards, clutching his stomach with his left hand and igniting his lightsaber again.

"I win," Sabine said simply.

"How?" Dan wheezed, feeling rather foolish at how easily she had gotten the drop on him. Her stance had been all wrong for an opening attack, and he hadn't sensed the attack at all. "What?"

Sabine smirked. "You let your guard down."

Dan would've chuckled at that understatement had he not been trying to draw air into his lungs. For a woman who was approaching her mid-fifties, she packed a helluva punch. "I didn't realize we were actually going through with it."

"You kept reading my body language," Sabine pointed out. "You assumed you were safe. You thought that since I turned off my weapon that we weren't still sparring."

"I know not to make that mistake around you," Dan gritted out.

"Don't make that mistake around anyone," Sabine corrected, glancing away as if remembering some painful memory. "Never let your guard down in combat, even among friends. You'll live longer that way."

"So is that what you came here to do?" Dan asked, "Teach me a lesson about keeping my guard up?"

"Partially," Sabine admitted. Her gaze was still hard, but there was something else in her brown eyes now. The young Jedi couldn't get a fix on what exactly it was. "If you're going to be some Jedi that helps save the galaxy from the First Order, then you'd better live up to their reputation."

"I won't disappoint," Dan said, finally straightening as the pain in his solar plexus began to subside, aided by him calling on the Force to soothe the bruised area. He closed down his lightsaber, the threat of another punch from Sabine apparently over.

Sabine turned to go, grabbing her helmet, but paused before putting the helmet back on. "Tell me Jedi, do you know what aliit ori'shya tal'din means?"

"I don't know much of the Mando'a dialect," Dan admitted. "I didn't have time to study the language much. I just recognize aliit, which means clan, if I'm remembering correctly."

"Family," Sabine corrected, "It means family. The whole phrase is 'family is more than bloodline.' I lost my blood family on Mandalore and Hera and Chopper are the last of my adoptive family." A hint of sadness crept into her Force signature, the first emotion Dan could actually sense from her. "Hera told me that I should be more open to people, but I've seen so many others come and go on the _Ghost_ , none of them coming close to what I had with Ezra and Zeb and Kanan. It's been so long since we had a Jedi on here, part of me hoped that it could feel like old times." The Mandalorian shook her head, seeming embarrassed at how she was opening up to him.

"On Corellia, we had a saying," Dan began, catching her eye. "Ihn Corellisi nyeve min bhiq suman ehin nyiad." She nodded for him to go on. "A Corellian never turns his back on someone in need. I promise that I'm not going to let you or Hera down. I've got too much to live up to."

"No pressure, eh Jedi?" Sabine said, putting her helmet back on. "You better get cleaned up. We'll be at Agamar within the half-hour."

Hera Syndulla watched from the hallway, glad that Sabine listened to her and made an effort to get to know Dan. She'd lost so much over the years, but she didn't regret anything that she had done. As Kanan would say, it was as the Force willed it. The Twi'lek sighed and hoped that the Force willed it for Kalani to join their side. Fleet scuttlebutt said that he'd developed several new battle droids, and had fortified Agamar into a damn near impregnable fortress. He'd be quite the asset to either side. She said nothing, choosing not to reveal herself and returned to the cockpit. There was work to be done.

 **Fondor System**

Black Squadron dropped out of hyperspace as one, the Wolden class shuttle carrying their envoy safely in the middle. Bilbringi had gone well, Archduke Brofal pledging support to the Resistance and promising several light cruisers within the week. There was a sense of optimism among the pilots of Black Squadron. Perhaps they'd actually have the strength to go toe-to-toe with the First Order soon, especially if they could get the Star Destroyer producing shipyards of Fondor on their side.

"All wings," Poe began confidently, "tighten up formation and begin your approach. We'll be in and out of here just like Bilbringi and onto the next planet."

"What is our next stop?" Jess asked.

"Kuat," Franclo answered. "Simply put, we need those capital ships."

"What good's a capital ship if we don't have the people to run them?" Wexley asked.

"Hey, we're getting new recruits," Poe pointed out. "A little bit of training and I'm sure we'll be able to hang with the best of them."

"Will we have enough time to train them though?" Yolo Ziff, another pilot who had survived Starkiller Base. "I doubt the First Order has been sitting on their cans the entire time. They've been prepping for this war for the past 20 something years. They aren't gonna be a bunch of fresh faced shinies fresh from the academy."

"Enough of that," Poe snapped, "Positive thoughts here. We got Bilbringi on our side, Fondor's soon to follow, then we'll hit up Kuat. I mean, we've got a Jedi flying with us!"

"Any Jedi insight you have to offer us Black 7?" Karé Kun asked, a slight teasing tone in her voice.

Katerina grinned. "Just trust your instincts. Also, I don't want any special treatment just because I'm a Jedi." She flexed her new hand. The Corellian was mostly used to it by now, having had the past couple of days to practice with both her lightsaber on Bilbringi and her new X-Wing. There was still a slight feeling that something wasn't quite right with her hand, which Dr. Chamra had warned her about, but otherwise, her hand was fine. "In here, I'm just another pilot, like you guys."

"That's fine by me," Wexley chuckled, "It'll be fun to put another rookie through initiation again."

Jess chuckled. "You only started that cause you've been around for forever, or at least since Endor."

"I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle," Kat said, putting on an air of nonchalance. Squadrons each had their own little traditions, rookie hazing wasn't that big of a deal.

"Yeah Temmin, don't go easy on her just cause she's a Jedi," Poe chuckled.

"It is nice to have a Jedi with us though," Karé mused. "Especially after we all thought Skywalker was the last one."

"I'm just here to he-" Kat began, then froze as the Force screamed a warning at her. There was two seconds of silence as the squadron waited for her to finish. Her droid, a quiet little astromech designated R7-X4, beeped a question at her. "Enemies incoming!" Immediately the tone shifted from hanger camaraderie to battle readiness. Alarms went off in their X-Wings, indicators of something large coming out of hyperspace.

"Form up around the Admiral's shuttle!" Poe shouted quickly, taking charge of the situation. "Be ready for anything!" There was a ripple and an Imperial-class Star Destroyer burst out of hyperspace.

"Blast! The First Order would show their fragging faces now!" Wexley shouted.

"We can't take down a Star Destroyer!" Jess pointed out, and yet there was relief in her tone. Finally, they were going to see some action.

"They haven't spotted us yet," Franclo noted. "What are your orders?"

"I say we hit em while we can and let the Admiral get down to the surface to deliver General Organa's message," Poe said. "We'll show these bucketheads what for. Set S-foils in attack position!"

"Belay that!" the voice of Admiral Statura came on the comm. "I'm going to transmit a message to President Vadde and we're going to get out of here. Standby while we transmit the coordinates for your hyperspace jump."

"But we can take them!" Poe countered, frustration in his voice.

"They're moving to attack position," Wexley noted. "Turbolasers powering up."

"I think it's safe to say they've spotted us," Karé said dryly.

"Spread out," Poe ordered, "We'll give em a distraction. Admiral, let us know when you're ready to make the jump and we'll follow."

"Commander Dameron!" Statura protested, but that was all he had time for before Poe muted him.

"All wings, get ready to take out their guns!" Poe commanded. "We make that Star Destroyer focus on us and not the Admiral! Pair up and make your attack runs when you're ready! Black 7, you're with me. I want to see if you can keep up!"

"Copy Black Leader," Kat replied, slipping into the military jargon easily enough. She'd had practice while surviving on Coruscant with the rest of the underground resistance. "Starting my approach." The dozen X-Wings that composed Black Squadron split up into six groups of two, each weaving through the incoming turbolaser fire with ease as they approached the Star Destroyer. Poe, fighter ace that he was, was leading the direct approach, and therefore dodging the most flak. Kat was impressed at his skills, and a part of her wondered if he was showing off just a little. Putting that thought to the side for the moment, she followed orders and covered his tail. Poe wove through the defense towers, lasers flashing and destroying all of the central towers on the right. Taking his cue, Kat fired her own weapons, taking out the towers on the left. She could sense the deaths of the gunners, and felt remorse, but given that it was her or them, the young Jedi could only hope that their deaths were quick.

"They've launched TIE fighters," Franclo announced, "Coming in hot at point three five!"

"I see 'em!" Poe shouted. "Black 7, stick with me, I'm making a run for the bridge!"

Kat glanced out her cockpit and saw no less than four full squadrons of TIE Fighters in their way. There was hotshot flying and then there was suicide. "Negative Black Leader, we need to start falling back, or we'll be trapped between the turbolasers and the TIEs. We'll get our shot at the Star Destroyer another time."

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet," Poe snapped, "We can do this!"

"No Poe, she's right!" Wexley called, trying to be the voice of reason. "That bridge is too heavily fortified for proton torpedoes! You won't get through! We've done enough damage to put her in the docks for a month!"

"You got one on your tail Black 4!" Yolo shouted.

"I see him!" Franclo yelled, "Damn it Karé, where are you?"

"I've got my own tail," Karé responded quickly, "Black 6, help him out!" She deftly maneuvered her X-Wing between two spires on the Star Destroyer, closing her S-foils so that she could fit while the TIE behind her pulled up to avoid crashing.

"There's too many of them!" Yolo yelled.

"Poe, it's not like we're facing a Dreadnought or anything," Wexley pointed out. "Besides, the Admiral looks like he's almost ready to jump!" Poe growled a few curses as he switched on the com to the Admiral. He hated leaving behind a wounded enemy.

"Commander Dameron, if you don't answer I will have you demoted to sanitation duty for the next month!" roared Admiral Statura. He did not sound happy.

"All right all right," Poe grumbled, "Black Squadron disengage!"

"I'm hit!" Franclo shouted, static rushing over the coms. Poe looked over just in time to see his X-Wing crash into the Star Destroyer.

"Jami!" Karé shouted in vain, saddened by the lost of her wingmate. She didn't know how she was going to break the news to Jami's wife and son. They'd already lost their home planet over thirty years prior.

"Transmitting coordinate package to your navi computers now!" Statura barked.

Kat heard the excited beeps of R7. "Start prepping for lightspeed ArSeven, I've gotta do some fancy flying!" She did her best to quiet her mind, allowing the Force to guide her. A nudge here, a juke there, and with a well-placed proton torpedo saw the young Jedi through the swarm of TIEs in front of her. Kat winged over, doing her best to help her squadmates extract themselves from the swarm of starfighter combat. There was a ripple in realspace out of the corner of her eye.

"The Admiral's gone, we better follow," Wexley announced.

"Then let's get out of here!" Poe said, shooting a TIE off Jess's tail. One by one, Black Squadron disappeared into hyperspace.

"You heard him," Kat told her droid. "Let's go!" She pulled the lever and the stars began to streak past her viewport.

 **First Order Star Destroyer** _ **Judicator**_

"Admiral Konstantine, that was the last of them," one of the ensigns reported. "Casualty reports coming in. Thirty-four TIE fighters lost or damaged, twenty TIE pilots killed in action, and all our auto turrets are critically damaged."

Admiral Kassius Konstantine the Second stood at the viewport, looking out over the space where starfighters had been dogfighting not two minutes prior. He idly wondered if this was what it had been like for his father when he had been chasing Rebel scum in the Lothal system. Konstantine took after his father in many regards, though he didn't grow a mustache like his father had. He'd only been a boy when his father died at the Battle of Atolan, but that didn't stop his dream of joining the Imperial Navy, even if it had been in Wild Space. Still, Konstantine had proved his mettle and risen through the ranks. He didn't trust the likes of Kylo Ren to command a Navy, no matter what his prowess in a snubfighter was. "Did any of you at least get their squadron designation?"

"Yes Admiral," the bridge officer reported. "Scans indicated that it was Black Squadron escorting that transport. We were unable to determine whether or not they were planet bound or already leaving the system."

Konstantine grimaced. Black Squadron was among the Resistance's elite, if not the best starfighter pilots in the galaxy. Some would argue they were better than the legendary Rogue Squadron, though many veterans of Jakku would be quick to point out the flaws in that argument. It didn't justify the damage they had taken, as the _Judicator_ was going to be out of commission for a while. "Did they take any casualties?"

"Only one confirmed kill," reported the ensign.

The Admiral nodded. Getting one kill against Black Squadron was more than a lot of First Order commanders could claim. Reducing that fighter squadron by ten percent would make them that much less of a hassle. "Very well then. Hail the Fondor government so we can give them our ultimatum and request permission to lay over for repairs."

"At once Admiral," the bridge officer replied. Konstantine sighed as he looked over the Fondor system. He was not going to go out like his father did. He was going to avenge his father and play a role in finally wiping out that rebel scum. Unlike his father, he knew how to work with his fleet and didn't seek personal glory. He wondered what Thrawn would've done in this scenario, having heard the exploits of the Grand Admiral all his life, especially after his father died working with Thrawn. One task at a time. If the intelligence reports were right, then First Order High Command was on their way to wipe out the Resistance High Command this very second. Konstantine's only regret was that he hadn't been selected to join the final campaign.

 **Illeenium System, Mon Calamari Cruiser** _ **Raddus**_

Finn was a little nervous. Being a former stormtrooper of the First Order, he wasn't surprised to get a few wary glances. But more often than not, he was getting looks of adulation, a sensation he was definitely not used to. He was surprised to find himself relieved when General Organa called him up to the bridge. Many of the faces he recognized, mainly because they were among the First Order's most wanted. Admiral Ackbar, fresh from Mon Cala having brought the _Raddus_ into orbit to pick up the Resistance and the _Millennium Falcon_. Joph Seastriker, fighter ace and founding member of the Resistance. Taslin Brance, Major of the Resistance ground forces. Caluan Ematt, veteran of the Rebellion and current Resistance General. General Cypress, another General for the ground forces of the Resistance. So much of the Resistance High Command in one room made Finn anxious. Knowing the First Order, they were going to be in the system soon, and the former stormtrooper knew that they weren't going to be happy.

"The General will see you now," Lieutenant Connix informed Finn as she passed by, startling him out of his observation of the command center of the _Raddus_. "And I suggest you close your mouth so you don't look too clueless."

"I'll do that," Finn replied awkwardly, feeling heat on his cheeks. Part of him said he didn't belong there, that he was out of his league, that he should run. Shoving that part of his mental doubts to the side for the moment, Finn started towards the holodisplay in the center of the room, General Leia Organa sitting next to it and looking very tired, despite Chewbacca's gentle affectionate rubs. The Wookiee left the table, growling something at her.

Leia glanced up as Finn approached, smiling wearily at the young man. "Hello Finn. How's your arm?"

"It's seen better days," Finn admitted, "But I'll be fine." He held up his right arm and revealed Dr. Chamra's work. Black synthskin covered the gash in his arm, about an inch and a half wide and traveling down to about mid wrist. His middle finger was gone, having been damaged beyond salvation by the crossguards of Kylo Ren's lightsaber. His hand was fully functional despite the wounds thanks to the efforts of the Twi'lek doctor though, and Finn's pain was reduced to the occasional twinge if he banged it against something. "You should see the other guy." If Finn could've kicked himself, he would have as soon as the words left his mouth. The fact that Kylo Ren was Leia's son had slipped his mind until that very second. "Leia I'm-"

"Mara told me all the details," Leia interrupted gently, placing a hand on Finn's good arm.

"Oh," Finn said simply. He decided to shut up before he put his foot back in his mouth again.

"Now Finn," Leia began, "Now that we have a moment, I need you to tell me what you know about the First Order."

"Haven't I been doing that since I got here?" Finn asked. Sometimes it'd felt like question after question. Then he realized, that debriefing had been about Starkiller base. Then came that wild mission to the system-killing weapon and since then Finn had been recovering. He hadn't really talked about the rest of the First Order since joining the Resistance.

"You look like you already know the answer to that question," Leia said sagely. "Now Finn, we've tried to gather intelligence on the First Order for years now, but with limited success. You're someone who's come out of them recently, so I want to compare what you know with what Intelligence knows and see if we're missing any data." She held up a datapad with a list of numbers and categories for said numbers.

"Sure, anything to help," Finn agreed. Might as well be useful. "And no disrespect General, but we really should be getting out of here. The First Order will be here any minute."

Leia smiled at him. It was a smile of experience and wisdom. "Believe me Finn, we all know that the First Order is on its way. Just a few more transports and the evacuation will be complete. I will not leave a man behind." She glanced to the viewport. "Not again." Finn said nothing, taking the datapad from Leia and beginning to skim through the numbers, typing in notes on what needed to be changed. The Resistance Intelligence agents were good, Finn had to admit, but they couldn't have all the pieces. The First Order had bided its time for years, and the Resistance had to know what it was up against. Finn wasn't sure about the planets in the Core and Mid Rim, but the Outer Rim and Wild Space he knew well enough to highlight the First Order borders, which had expanded last time he'd looked at a space chart. He traced a line on one of the space charts, recognizing a cluster of stars as part of the map BB-8 had worked so hard to protect and a question came to him.

"How are Mara and Rey going to bring Luke Skywalker to the Resistance if we aren't here anymore?" Finn asked. "How are they going to know wherever the hell in the galaxy we're gonna end up?"

Leia pulled up the sleeve of her dress, revealing a small binary transmitter, flicking on and off. "With this. I gave the other one to Mara. She'll know where to find us."

"And where there's Mara, there's Rey," Finn murmured. "Have you decided where we're going?"

Leia nodded. "The Outer Rim has many places for a group like us to disappear. We're headed to a small planet called-"

"General Organa!" the raspy voice of Admiral Ackbar interrupted. "Admiral Statura and Black Squadron have just returned from the Fondor system and will be ready for debriefing shortly."

"Did they mention if their mission was a success?" Leia asked quickly.

"Bilbringi has pledged their support and Fondor has acknowledged your message," Ackbar read off his Mon Calamari datapad. "They were unable to reach Kuat as they just got out of an engagement with a First Order Star Destroyer."

Leia sighed. "I wasn't expecting Kuat to join us anyways, they were always such stout Centralists."

"Also, Admiral Statura would like to discuss the status of Commander Dameron," Ackbar finished.

"Sounds like your flyboy's in trouble again," Vice Admiral Holdo commented dryly as she passed.

"Oh Poe." Leia stood up and met Finn's perplexed gaze. "Finn, you make sure Intelligence is up to date. I have some business to attend to." She strode off, as regal as ever. Finn wondered how she did it. Despite losing so much over the years, Leia still put off an aura of strength. He knew about the destruction of Alderaan, it was a huge event in Imperial and subsequently First Order history, and he knew the prominent role she had had over the years, as a leader of the Rebel Alliance, then as a Senator in running for First Senator, to now as a General of the Resistance. Finn just didn't know where she got that inner drive from. General Hux had called her foolish, but Finn knew that to be a lie. Shrugging, he got back to work correcting the Intelligence report.

 **Ahch-To**

Mara watched a stormfront approach the island from the little campfire she had set up by the Jade Shadow. It had been a quiet day, as she was trying to get Luke to approach her about the problem. He had gone off on whatever served as his daily routine on this planet, not even offering her a bite of the large fish he had speared that day. That was fine with Mara, as she knew how to survive. One of the island birds had proved easy prey and she provided the creature a quick death. Now that bird was roasting over an open fire, the savory scents making Mara's mouth water. Sure, she could've used the _Jade Shadow_ 's supplies and made a simpler meal, but there was no challenge in that. Rey would be returning soon from her exploration. The Force was indeed very strong with her. Several of the island birds were waddling around the campsite, just out of reach of Mara. One walked up to Mara, looking at her imploringly with those unusually large eyes.

"Get out of here," Mara snapped at it, shifting her leg and startling the bird back a few hops. "Or you'll join your friend there on the fire." R2-D2 rolled out of the _Jade Shadow_ , beeping at Mara.

"Hello Artoo," Mara greeted the astromech. "Sorry, no Luke today. He really doesn't want to talk to anyone." More beeps and whistles. "Yes, I'm sure Leia's message is important. You keep saying that as though I'll lift you up to Luke this instant." A snickering beep this time. "You better not let those birds onto the _Jade Shadow_. They're hard enough to ignore out here." She sighed, casting her mind out towards the mountaintop. Luke was there, as withdrawn as he could from the Force. There were the native life forms, caretakers of the Temple that had been there for eons. They didn't bother Mara and she didn't bother them. The Force reverberated throughout this island, this whole planet in fact. It was rich with life, in the sea, on the land, in the sky. No wonder the early Jedi had built a Temple here. There was balance. Life, and death. Warmth, and cold. Light, and a bit of darkness. Balance. She took a bite of the wing she had finished cooking. It was chewy, but the flavors oozed out of the meat. Mara was surprised at how good it was.

"A pity you don't have taste buds," the Jedi Master commented to R2. "These are delicious." The Force surged and Mara paused midway through her second bite. A presence in the Force was approaching.

 _"Such a pity there were never any tasty critters on Tatooine,"_ a male voice with a Coruscanti accent sad, sadness and amusement in his tone. _"It would've made the exile a little bit more enjoyable."_

Mara glanced over in the direction of the voice. Nothing but the cliffside bathed in the fiery sunset light. Nobody stood there, but she could feel it. "Identify yourself!"

The voice tutted. _"Such fire for one supposedly long dead."_

"If you're truly one with the Force, then you should know that I'm not supposed to be here," Mara countered. She could play a game of wits if need be.

The voice sounded mildly amused. _"And yet, here you are. Out of place, out of time, out of space, but here nonetheless. Why do you think the Force brought you here?"_

"Probably because my husband needs a kick in the ass to save the galaxy again," Mara shrugged. "Because my daughter has spent most of her life believing her father to be a legend. Because some Imperial wannabes are hellbent on making the galaxy theirs again."

 _"So you think you were brought here to help?"_

"You have a better reason?"

 _"Not really."_ A blue figure shimmered into view, dressed in Jedi robes. His grey beard and kind blue eyes gave him away immediately.

"Master Kenobi," Mara greeted respectfully, tilting her head. She was a little surprised to see him here. "I thought you were unable to come back to the realm of the living."

 _"The living Force binds us in many ways,"_ Obi-Wan replied, meeting her gaze. _"Naturally, places like this, filled with life and by extension the Force make it that much easier for those of us who have learned how to become one with the Force to appear to the living."_ He paused, a sad look in his eye. Mara waited, allowing the old Jedi Master to speak and taking a bite of the tasty bird, ignoring the imploring look from another of its species. _"Did you ever consider that perhaps you weren't brought here to save Luke from his misery?"_

Mara nearly spat out the bite she had taken. Out of all the questions she'd figured old Ben Kenobi would've asked, that was the last one she expected. "But so many people are counting on Luke Skywalker!"

Obi-Wan sighed. _"You've seen what's become of him in his exile. He won't talk to me, or Yoda or even Anakin. Perhaps it's time to move on and begin training the next generation of Jedi."_

"I'm not giving up on my husband," Mara said flatly.

Kenobi looked at her. _"Mara, we both know that that man isn't exactly the Luke Skywalker you married. Events in your dimension are far different from events in this dimension. Perhaps, because you died so soon, you weren't able to support him through his time of need."_

"I hope you're not blaming me for what's happened to Luke," Mara bristled. She knew it was pointless to threaten a Force ghost, immortal as they were within the Force.

 _"Not at all my dear,"_ Obi-Wan replied sadly. _"But I am suggesting you start to put more effort towards your adoptive daughter. She needs your help, as will any other Jedi you train in this dimension."_

Mara blinked. The future would need Jedi, that was for certain. With the Order destroyed, it was a tall task to begin the rebuilding process. She knew just how much work it had been the first time around. With Rey in desperate need of training and no time to search out potential candidates, Mara was pondering Kenobi's words semi-seriously. Poor Luke needed time to get over himself, but they didn't have time with the First Order about to go on the offensive. Perhaps by training Rey for a couple of days on this island, she'd get through to Luke. "I'd already planned to begin training Rey tomorrow. But Luke will come back. I swear it."

Kenobi nodded. _"Spoken like a true Jedi. Work with Rey, and maybe you will get Luke to come back, but for now, you need to look forward. Trust in the Force to guide you, and you just might prevail over the dark side."_

"I will," Mara confirmed.

The old Jedi Master smiled at her as he began to fade from view, his presence in the Force diminishing. _"Go to the great tree in the middle of this island. There you will find the sacred texts of the Jedi Order. They will help you rebuild the Order. And remember, the Force will be with you. Always."_

Mara took another bite of the bird, reflecting on the conversation she had never expected to have. Luke Skywalker was a shell of the man she had once known, but he was still a Jedi Master. He had much to offer the galaxy, if only she could convince him to share it. Artoo whistled a question at her.

"Yes, that was Ben Kenobi," she answered. "You remember him of course. He's certainly given me a lot to think about." More beeps. "He left just in time for Rey to come back?" She smiled. Leave it to Kenobi to play the mystic.

Rey came around the _Jade Shadow_ , deep in thought as she unslung her staff and leaned it against Mara's ship. She'd obviously seen a lot in the old Temple catacombs. Artoo whistled cheerily at her, prompting her to respond with "I'll be fine Artoo."

"Are you ready to begin your training?" Mara asked.

Rey met Mara's gaze. There was a resolve in her eyes that hadn't been there before. Her answer was simple. "Yes."

"Then get a good night's sleep," Mara said. "Because we both have a long day tomorrow."

 **Not the most exciting of chapters, I'll admit, but it is a bit of a setup for going into the events of The Last Jedi, though obviously events will be different than how they turned out in the movie. Obviously some of my head canon has been rendered…untrue. Either that or it's to be determined. But I'm going to plow ahead with what I established in previous chapters, and I hope you all will join me on this journey.**

 **Some of you may be wondering why I had Obi-Wan appear to Mara and not Rey. Well, I'm not going to state my reason directly, but I will direct your attention to another Star Wars story, Promise of the Past by CrazyAuraGirl23. It's a time travel story where Luke and Leia end up back in the Clone Wars, hardly an original concept, but she has some very interesting lore and made a connection between Clone Wars era and New Republic era characters that I have accepted as headcanon now. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Response to Guest Reviews:**

 **Guest: All right, I won't tell you that Tave is Tahiri. Yeah, the Last Jedi was…well, I already elaborated on that above. Glad you're enjoying the story!**

 **Denz-El: I'll be honest, I've lost track of Rebels since Season 4 started. I think I'll just binge watch them when it's over, since it's the final semester of college, which means super hard math classes. Also, while Khai Ren is shaping up to be a rival for Dan, Tave, well, I'm still figuring out her role in this.**

 **The Last Jedi definitely didn't go how I expected, though not really in a good way. Johnson let Kennedy have way too much influence.**

 **I doubt Snoke was a clone of Anakin. He had seen the rise of the Empire, whereas your suggestion would put Snoke's creation after the rise of the Empire. Sorry to shoot that theory down.**

 **I'm really trying to put more positive spins on what I've seen in this new canon, hard as it may be. Giving that "scared of power" comment a better spin is one step towards doing that.**

 **Your SWBttF mashup is sounding good. Don't be afraid to make an account just because you don't have a story. For the longest time, I had an account without any stories because I just wanted the follow notifications for the early stories I read. And it makes it a little easier to communicate with authors through the PM system, hehe. But God bless my friend, and May the Force be with you!**

 **CG: Jiminy crickets you've got a lot of comments. I'll address the most pressing ones. First off, that probably was a better way of handling the flashback, I'll admit. But what's done is done, and I suppose it'd be easier for Ren to forget her if she played no part in the fall of the Temple. Looks like your worst case scenario came true, because with Fisher gone (may she rest in peace) and Skywalker now one with the Force, well, the OT characters are dropping like flies.**

 **Skywalker's lightsaber acting like Mjolnir? Not the craziest theory I've heard. What with these sentient crystals nowadays (I still don't like the bleeding crystals they've established), it could happen.**

 **I don't know what's going to happen to the Rebels crew. I made my prediction, and I'm sticking to it. We'll see what happens.**

 **I'm a little wary of Disney collecting all these film studios like Infinity Stones. Monopolizing the movie market can be rather…catastrophic. Given my disappointment with the Last Jedi, I'm a little less than optimistic about Johnson's new trilogy. I'm hoping for the best, but expecting the worst now.**

 **Oh don't worry, Mara will do her thing next chapter, with stories of Jacen, Jaina, her Ben, and all the other Jedi that survived in the EU, trust me. But first, training Rey and the construction of her own lightsaber. That's right folks, you read that correctly.**

 **I think Ren was lying to Rey, trying to prey on her fragile emotions in that moment to get her on his side. Though my hope is slim, I'm still clinging desperately to Rey being connected to the Skywalker's somehow. In all honestly, I wouldn't have minded Leia dying when the command center was blown up, given that Fisher is dead, and the profound effect it would've had on her son, well, I don't know. I'm figuring it out. I don't know a lot of things about IX. Luke will probably be back as a ghost, the dark side is as treacherous as ever so Hux will probably try to eliminate Ren at some point, I don't know if Ben will die, but it's likely since he doesn't seem redeemable at this point, taking over the First Order like he did. All I know is that I have a lot of work to do to make this story worthy of the name Star Wars.**

 **Guest: That was probably a red herring to throw fans off the scent.**

 **Guest: Glad I'm giving you something to look forward to.**

 **Guest: That sounds like what I have planned when Mara and Snoke eventually meet.**

 **Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Please leave a review as I welcome any and all constructive criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve.**

 **Follow me on Twitter, at nuttybuddy792 for more content and interactions. I'm always up for interaction with my readers. Until the next chapter my friends!**

 **From your Nutty Buddy,**

 **The Eagle Nut**


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